Warnock declared winner in Georgia Senate runoff, AP reports
Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock defeated incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler in one of Georgia’s two U.S. Senate runoffs.
The Associated Press called the election at 2 a.m. Wednesday. At that time, Warnock was ahead by about 36,000 votes, according to unofficial data from the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
With the victory, he becomes the first Black U.S. Senator to represent Georgia. Warnock, the 51-year-old senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, emerged from a crowded field to challenge the incumbent Loeffler. Both were top vote-getters in the November special election to fill the remaining term of former Sen. Johnny Isakson, but neither candidate gained the necessary 50% plus one vote threshold to avoid a runoff.
Warnock delivered a six-minute, video speech just before 1 a.m., an hour before AP called the race. In his remarks, the Senator-elect promised to fight for all Georgians and their families, invoking the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis.
“In this moment in American history, Washington has a choice to make, we all have a choice to make. Will we continue to divide, distract and dishonor one another or will we love our neighbors as we love ourselves? Will we play political games while real people suffer or will we win righteous fights together, standing shoulder to shoulder, for the good of Georgia, for the good of our country? Will we seek to destroy one another as enemies or heed the call towards the common good, building together what Dr. King called ‘the beloved community,’ Warnock said.
“We’re were told that we couldn’t win this election,” he added. “But tonight, we proved that with hope, hard work and the people by our side anything is possible.”
Loeffler, who spoke to a gathered crowd at an in-person event in Atlanta before Warnock’s remarks, did not concede Wednesday morning. She told supporters the election was “a game of inches” and that she has a path to victory. She is expected to object to Biden’s victory during the Electoral College certification Wednesday.
Trump’s role in race
The weeks leading up to the runoff were defined by Republican infighting. While issue groups, candidates and the Republican Party poured historic amounts of money into ad spending, President Donald Trump launched attacks against fellow Republicans Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over the Nov. 3 election results. Trump falsely claimed he won the state and blamed his defeat on widespread voter fraud. Georgia election officials have repeatedly debunked those false claims and conspiracy theories
Trump pressured both state officials to influence Georgia’s outcome. Less than a week before election day, Trump called Kemp “an obstructionist” and asked him to resign.
The Washington Post on Sunday published audio and a transcript of an hour-long conference call between Trump and his representatives, and Raffensperger and members of his office over November’s election results. On the call, Trump called the results “a scam” and pleaded with Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” — one more than President-elect Joe Biden’s margin of victory in the state. Trump claimed November’s “scam” could result in low Election Day turnout for Loeffler and fellow Republican incumbent David Perdue ahead of the Jan. 5 election.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 2:22 AM with the headline "Warnock declared winner in Georgia Senate runoff, AP reports."