Georgia, the state that was key to the Democrats taking control of Washington in 2020, could now be responsible for giving some of that power back to Republicans. 

In a contentious Senate race, former NFL star Herschel Walker (R) is taking on the Democratic incumbent, Raphael Warnock. Walker, however, is plagued with controversy that’s making it hard for Republicans to throw their support behind him. 

A rematch for governor pits incumbent Brian Kemp (R) against his 2018 challenger, Stacey Abrams (D). Abrams’s camp hopes her work to expand ballot access will be enough to get her to victory this time, but Kemp’s incumbent status is giving him the edge.

Democracy reporter Matt Brown explains the state of play in Georgia right now, just as the state has already smashed early-voting records.

Correction: A previous version of this episode mistakenly said Stacey Abrams lost the race for Georgia governor in 2020. She lost that race in 2018.