U.S. Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock has apparently ousted political rival and Republican incumbent, U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Loeffler by a decisive margin of more than 35,000 votes with 97 percent of votes counted. Jon Ossoff, the Democratic candidate looking to unseat David Perdue is was in a dead heat with his political rival for a good portion of the count, but as voting results came in from DeKalb County, he was able to pull ahead with more than 90 percent of those votes.
Shortly after midnight, Warnock addressed Georgians in a television broadcast which was just short of a winning declaration.
Raphael Warnock joined Savannah Guthrie live on NBC News’ TODAY this morning, with Savannha Guthrie. Warnock told Guthrie, “It’s the honor of my life that I get to represent the people of this very great state in the United States Senate.”
The hotly contested and critical senate race will determine the makeup of the U.S. Senate, with a win from both Warnock and Ossoff wins putting Democrats in a majority position in the U.S. Congress. As all four candidates kept the political drama up in a nail biter of a race, trading leads consistently, DeKalb County voters decided the race in the final hours of election night.
Rev. Raphael Warnock, the keeper of historic Ebenezer Church in Atlanta and Dr. Martin Luther King’s doctrine of civil justice would be the first black U.S. senator elected for Georgia.
At age 33, Jon Ossoff will be the youngest senator elected to the U.S. Senate in 40 years. Ossoff also delivered a statement thanking Georgians for the win and laying out plans going forward.
Although Republicans hoped Trump’s trip to Dalton, GA to campaign for Loeffler and Perdue, his visit on the heels of a controversial call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger may have been more harmful than helpful for the battered incumbents. Although Republicans hoped the visit would unite supporters in north Georgia, the turnout was not enough to overcome the Atlanta metro area performance.
The importance of the U.S. Senate race can’t be overstated. At his rally in Georgia, Biden said that a win for Democrats would ensure Coronavirus relief, giving Americans $2000 stimulus checks.
Both Warnock and Ossoff ran on platforms focusing on healthcare for all, criminal justice, and help for working-class Americans.
The election comes one day before Presidential results are certified. A despondent Donald Trump has vowed to deny the truth regarding the presidential election outcome and is applying pressure to Vice President Mike Pence to corrupt the certification process.
Political pundits and election experts agree Trump’s Jan. 4 visit discouraged voter turnout for Republicans, although the bitter and embattled commander-in-chief vowed to return to Georgia and run for governor in the next gubernatorial election.
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