It’s a standard political ploy, straight out of a challenger’s playbook: demand a series of debates the moment the primaries are over. Only in Georgia, it was incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock who issued the call Thursday for three televised debates, as soon as his fall Senate election match-up with Herschel Walker was set.

Warnock’s move made sense in light of a head-scratching moment the day before. In response to a question about gun control legislation, Walker offered a rambling answer so nonsensical that it underscored longstanding concerns about whether he is ready for the rigors of a punishing, high-stakes Senate campaign…

“They [the Warnock campaign] are signaling what they think is their pathway to victory. They are telegraphing their strategy: to try to get Herschel Walker into unscripted moments where he’s got to act on his feet,” said Brian Robinson, a Republican consultant in Georgia. “I think what stands out to me is the timing of it and telegraphing the strategy of what they think their strengths are, and what they think Herschel Walker’s weakness is.”