Georgia breakout: Who are Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock?
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Incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock has defeated former soccer star Herschel Walker in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff.
The Associated Press and other US media have now projected the result of the race in favor of the Democrat, about three and a half hours after the polls officially closed at 7 pm in Georgia.
Although votes are still being counted, it means Warnock, Georgia’s first black U.S. senator, has an unassailable lead over his Republican challenger in the race to win a full six-year term.
Walker maintained his lead in Republican-leaning rural areas, while Warnock performed well in the Democratic stronghold of Atlanta and other metro areas.
Warnock’s victory gives Democrats a 51-49 majority in the Senate.
With this election to determine who controlled the Senate, party stalwarts on both sides made final efforts to support their candidate.
Both candidates offer a stark choice to the state’s black voters. Warnock, a senior minister at Martin Luther King’s Atlanta church, echoes traditional liberal notions of the black experience, while Walker defends the language of white cultural conservatism.
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Kamala Harris says Georgia has a senator who would ‘fight for them’
Reacting to Raphael Warnock’s victory, Vice President Kamala Harris said Georgia voters wanted a senator who would fight for them and they made it happen.
Shweta Sharma December 7, 2022 4:31 am
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Democrats react to Warnock’s ‘well-deserved victory’
Reactions have begun to mount to Raphael Warnock’s victory, with Democrats praising him for giving the party an absolute majority (51 seats to 49) in the Senate.
Chuck Schumer reacted with only “51!” in a tweet, before saying that it is the victory of democracy.
Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, congratulated Warnock, praising him for the work he has done for the state.
Shweta Sharma December 7, 2022 4:30 am
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Watch as Warnock’s supporters join in the celebration
The crowd at Warnock’s election night party started celebrating shortly after the election was called by the outlets.
Supporters and campaign workers danced and clapped as DJ Khaled’s 2010 hit “All I Do Is Win” played in the background.
Shweta Sharma December 7, 2022 4:07 am
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Warnock says “we did it again” in his first tweet after the win
Raphael Warnock reacted with gratitude as his supporters at an election night party started celebrating shortly after the announcement.
The Democratic senator has now been to the polls in Georgia five times in two years after two general elections and two runoffs.
Shweta Sharma December 7, 2022 4:02 am
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Did Trump reduce the GOP’s chances in Georgia?
If Herschel Walker loses his Georgia Senate runoff, many will be quick to blame Donald Trump for endorsing him and paving a path of scandalous, celebrity-first politics that Walker is clearly pulling from.
However, as DC Independent bureau chief Eric Garcia argues, the rest of the party also enabled Walker.
“It would be easy for Republicans to blame Trump for supporting Herschel Walker, but it wasn’t just Trump,” Eric wrote on Twitter. “Mitch McConnell endorsed him, John Thune endorsed him. Rick Scott campaigned for him. Almost every Republican elite got behind him.”
Here’s an in-depth look at the question, from the Independent Voices section.
Josh Marcus December 7, 2022 4:00 am
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Herschel Walker’s son reacts to the former footballer’s defeat
Christian Walker, the son of former Republican football star Herschel Walker, reacted with a long and angry rant after his father’s defeat in the Georgia Senate election.
His reaction came shortly after the results were announced by various media.
“Don’t hit women, put guns to people’s heads, fund abortions and then pretend you’re pro-life, chase cheerleaders, leave your multiple minor children alone to chase more fame, lie, lie, lie, say stupid shit and play the fool. of your family.. And then maybe you can win a senate seat,” he tweeted.
Shweta Sharma December 7, 2022 3:53 am
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Biden says we’re “going to win” moments before the screening
Stepping off Air Force One Tuesday night, Joe Biden said Democrats will win the Georgia Senate election just moments before projections tipped Raphael Warnock to victory.
“We are going to win. We’re going to win Georgia,” Biden told reporters.
Warnock has defeated former republican football star Herschel Walker, the media and projections have said the final votes are still being counted.
Shweta Sharma December 7, 2022 3:47 am
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Democratic Sen. Warnock defeats Walker to win Georgia runoff
Incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock won re-election in a long runoff in Georgia on Tuesday, extending his party’s razor-thin majority while fending off a challenge from former Republican football star Herschel Walker.
The Associated Press and other US media have now projected the result of the race in favor of the Democrat, about three and a half hours after the polls officially closed at 7 pm in Georgia.
With 94 percent of the expected votes counted, Edison also projected that Warnock had won re-election.
Shweta Sharma December 7, 2022 3:40 am
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Wasserman appeals to Warnock
(Getty Images)
Dave Wasserman of The Cook Political Report has announced that he thinks Raphael Warnock will likely win the Georgia Senate runoff race.
Wasserman, the editor of the House races, is not an official network and does not make calls for the nonpartisan election analysis report. But the “I’ve seen enough” of Mr. Wasserman often deflects official calls from major media outlets.
At about 9:34 p.m., Wasserman said Warnock had won the Georgia Senate runoff.
“I’ve seen enough: Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) defeats Herschel Walker (R) in #GASEN runoff, giving Democrats a 51-49 majority in the Senate,” he tweeted.
Eric Garcia December 7, 2022 03:00
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Walker was called “one of the worst candidates” in GOP history by his fellow Republican
Outgoing Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has slammed Herschel Walker, calling the scandal-plagued Republican nominee backed by former President Donald Trump one of the worst contenders in the party’s history.
Sravasti Dasgupta reports.
Oliver O’Connell December 7, 2022 3:00 am