POLITICO On the Road: Warnock 'Nauseously Optimistic,' Urges Democrats to Invest in South

Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia told POLITICO's Jonathan Martin that he is "nauseously optimistic" about Democrats' chances in Tuesday's midterm elections, in a new episode of the On the Road with Jonathan Martin podcast released Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. The roughly 56-minute episode, titled "Raphael Warnock is 'nauseously optimistic' about Dems' midterm chances," was published on Apple Podcasts at 11:00 a.m. UTC, or 6 a.m. Eastern, and was also posted to the feed of POLITICO's The Conversation with Dasha Burns.

According to the episode description, Warnock joined Martin at the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Atlanta, where the two discussed Democrats' prospects over breakfast biscuits and grits. POLITICO also published an edited version of the interview in Martin's column, "Faith, the South and Jon Ossoff: Raphael Warnock on Democrats' Next Chapter," posted at 7 a.m. Eastern. Martin, POLITICO's senior political columnist and politics bureau chief, wrote that Warnock remains the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and is also considering a run for president in 2028. After the meal, the column says, the two walked the grounds of the church.

A case for investing in the South

Asked whether a Democratic Senate majority now felt within reach, Warnock said, "I am nauseously optimistic." He added that "the stakes are so high" and that "the margins are small," warning that "the way to lose is to become overly confident." He predicted, "We're definitely gonna flip the House," and said, "I think we have a great shot at the Senate."

Martin pointed to Mississippi and South Carolina as two Southern Senate races that had become competitive late in the cycle. Warnock said the fact that both states are in play reflects "how badly this administration has screwed up," and he repeated an argument he said he has made privately to the party and to donors: "I believe that the road to a sustainable majority in the Senate for Democrats runs right through the South." He added, "I actually think Mississippi is a blue state that just needs to be organized."

Warnock recalled donors asking him, "Well, I'm helping you. Where else should I be looking?" and said his answer is Mississippi. Comparing the state with Georgia's own long climb, he said near-misses there once felt "like Lucy and the football," and he urged Democrats to "prepare to invest in Mississippi the day after the election, no matter the outcome." He also said Texas belongs on the same trajectory, and when asked whether Texas Senate candidate James Talarico could preach at Ebenezer, he answered, "Oh, I'd love to have him."

Faith and politics

Martin asked whether the country needs a spiritual rebirth. Warnock called President Donald Trump "a serious problem for our country" and said, "Only a nation that is spiritually sick could elect Donald Trump twice." He said politics has become "a new civic religion" and argued that "religion has become politics" with the emergence of Christian nationalism.

Discussing whether Democrats need a 2028 nominee who can speak fluently about faith, Warnock said advisers on his first Senate campaign put a reminder on his memos: "Remain the reverend." He stressed his support for the separation of church and state, saying, "I don't want to live in anybody's theocracy." He cited capping the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 as the kind of result that makes Senate work worthwhile and said, "I'd like to see us repeal Citizens United."

2028, Jon Ossoff and Georgia's governor's race

Pressed repeatedly on his own 2028 plans, Warnock did not commit. "My focus is on winning the midterms," he said, adding that if Democrats fall short, "2028 could very well be theoretical." Asked about fellow Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is on Tuesday's ballot, Warnock said Ossoff "has been an incredible United States senator" and that anyone with something to contribute should get involved: "We need a real primary." He described their working relationship by saying, "Jon Ossoff and I are a happy couple, if you will," and said his children know Ossoff as "Uncle Jon." At the end of the interview, Warnock said, "I think we should have a robust primary."

Martin noted that if a Democrat does not win Georgia's governorship, a Republican governor would fill any Senate vacancy created by either senator. The governor's race pits former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms against Republican Rick Jackson, whom Martin described as "a sort of self-financing business guy." Warnock said Bottoms' chances differ from those of Stacey Abrams in earlier races because "every cycle is different," calling 2026 "clearly a change election." Asked about 2024 results among Black men, he said, "Black men have been suffering, and they've been suffering for a long time," citing mass incarceration and policy choices made by both parties.

Same-day CNN interview

Warnock carried several of the same themes into a CNN interview with Jake Tapper on Sunday morning, which CNN posted under the headline "Warnock 'nauseously optimistic' about Democrats winning the midterms." Tapper noted that Warnock's current Senate term ends in 2028, and Warnock said, "come 2028, I will be running for high office." When Tapper asked whether that included the Senate, Warnock agreed that it did. On CNN, Warnock again called Mississippi "a blue state that just needs to be organized," said Mississippi Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom can win and argued that "a ceiling of 52 for Democrats in the Senate is unsustainable and unacceptable." He told Tapper he is "cautiously optimistic" about Tuesday's results.

The On the Road series, in which Martin interviews political figures in their home states, has featured guests including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina this fall. The Warnock episode description says the conversation also covers the future of U.S. alliances. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.