Democrats appear poised to gain control of the Senate, following Georgia’s two runoff elections Tuesday.
The Associated Press called the race for Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock last night, who defeated GOP incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Warnock will become Georgia’s first Black senator, illustrating a far cry from the era when his own mother worked as a share cropper.
“The 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator,” said Warnock in his live-streamed victory speech. “The improbable journey that led me to this place in this historic moment in America could only happen here.”
According to the New York Times’ predictions, Warnock will likely be joined in the Senate by Democrat Jon Ossoff, though his race is neck to neck and has yet to be called by the AP.
Ossoff is currently leading incumbent David Perdue by approximately 16,000 votes (0.4%) with 98% of precincts reporting.
Ossoff would be the state’s first Jewish senator and the youngest elected senator since Joe Biden.
The two Democrats’ arrival to the Senate would effectively grant Democrats the majority, as it will be tied 50-50 with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.
