Rev. Raphael Warnock, who in September took his first lead in the race for U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler's (R-Ga.) seat in next month's special election, said the WNBA's endorsement of him was "helpful" and "was one of many turning points in the campaign," according to Nancy Armour of USA TODAY. Warnock: "It gave people a chance to look a little closer and say, 'Who is this Warnock guy and what is he about?'" Armour notes Loeffler, who is a co-Owner of the Atlanta Dream, "criticized the league's social justice efforts to try to burnish her credentials with conservatives." Players "expressed outrage initially, but then went silent." They "recognized that a public back-and-forth would only benefit Loeffler." So the players reached out to Warnock and "wanted to know about Warnock's history as a social justice activist and what advice he had on using their platform." They "asked him to explain his stance on issues that mattered to them: Police reform. Criminal justice reform. LGBTQ rights. Reproductive rights." It was "soon clear they shared the same values and vision." On Aug. 4, with two games on ESPN2, WNBA players "showed up to the arena wearing 'Vote Warnock' T-shirts." Within two days, Warnock's campaign "had raised over $183,000." A few weeks later, Warnock "began airing ads on TV." By Sept. 30, a Quinnipiac poll "showed Warnock had taken his first lead in the race" (USA TODAY, 10/27).
