Georgia’s two Senate runoff elections were held on Tuesday, and Democrats are a step closer to take control of the U.S. Senate as Raphael Warnock became the projected winner over Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Democrat Jon Ossoff is also currently in the lead against Republican Sen. David Perdue, though the race is still too close to call.
As of 2 a.m. ET Wednesday, the Associated Press projected Warnock the winner over Atlanta pastor Loeffler. Warnock made history with his election win, becoming the first Black Democrat elected as a U.S. senator from a state in the South and only the 11th Black senator in the history of the nation. He becomes the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in Georgia in 20 years.
Ossoff surged ahead of Perdue by more than 8,500 votes after trailing much of the night due to votes counted from Democrat-heavy DeKalb County. “When all the votes are counted we fully expect that Jon Ossoff will have won this election to represent Georgia in the United States Senate,” Ossoff campaign manager Ellen Foster said in a statement. The Perdue campaign said the race is “an exceptionally close election that will require time and transparency to be certain the results are fair and accurate and the voices of Georgians are heard…We believe in the end, Senator Perdue will be victorious.”
Warnock’s victory gives Democrats 49 seats in the Senate, one shy of creating a 50-50 tie with Republicans, which would effectively give Democrats control because Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tie-breaking vote. A win for Ossoff would give Democrats their coveted 50th seat. A possible Senate sweep in Georgia would give Democrats control of the Senate for the first time since 2004.
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