Within 24 hours of the Georgia election officially heading to a December runoff, media outlets ranging from National Public Radio to Time magazine released stories suggesting that the runoff itself is a racist invention. After all, Warnock may not have gotten a majority of votes, but he still received 1 percent more than Walker.

On NPR, host Leila Fadel sounded truly shocked as Georgia PBS reporter Stephen Fowler explained that runoffs were devised by white supremacists to counter black voters. Fadel responded: “Wow. So a law originally aimed at disenfranchising Black voters is the reason this runoff rule even exists.” Fowler also observed that Walker is “a weaker candidate … dogged by controversies” while Warnock is a “well-known figure” who seeks to be “a problem-solver who works in a bipartisan manner.”

Putting aside the obvious bias, the NPR segment reflects the continuing effort to portray the race as about, well, race. Voter suppression claims are difficult to maintain in the aftermath of record voting. Now, the runoff is the embodiment of racism.

One can wonder if these journalists would have been as aggrieved with the thought of a runoff if it was Walker who was 1 percent ahead. What is clear is the fact that both candidates being Black does not appear to change the relevancy of this talking point.