Runoff election in Georgia points to Democrat Raphael Warnock win
3 Min Read
Georgia orients itself toward the Democratic Party.
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Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock speaking during election night in Atlanta on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. (AP)
Current Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock has defeated Republican candidate Herschel Walker in a standoff election in Georgia, according to new projections.
Warnock had led the election with 50.52% of the vote, while Walker mustered 49.48%. Although Walker may catch up as the election progresses, most of the state's counties with large percentages of the vote are more oriented towards the Democratic Party.
Moments after projections showed that the election was in his favor, Warnock thanked his voters on Georgia. After Warnock's win, Democrats have increased their presence in Congress to 51.This entails that Democrats will no longer need to rely on Vice President Kamala Harris' vote to pass legislation, meaning that Democrats will have more power in determining committee assignments.
Walker's loss - which is a projected result - would disadvantage Trump-backed candidates in the midterm elections. His campaign was filled with controversies that may have contributed to his loss. His former girlfriend accused him of paying for her abortion when the candidate himself is anti-abortion.
The midterm election last month failed to produce a clear winner, with the seat either flipping Republican or adding to Democrats’ slim majority in the upper chamber.
Warnock attempted to defend his seat against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Neither candidate was able to ensure a majority of votes during the midterm election in November, which saw Republicans take control of the House while Democrats retained control of the Senate.
Warnock, a minister, is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and chair of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade.
Read more: The US midterm elections saw a lot of winners, losers; which is which?
On the other hand, Walker, a political newcomer, received endorsements from figures including former US President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The Senate race in Georgia has been the most expensive one of the election cycle, with over $300 million expected to be spent on advertisements for the whole year, Politico reported late last month.
The report said that Warnock led Senate candidates for the most money raised in this cycle, more than doubling Walker.
