Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty
Sen. Raphael Warnock faced an opponent in Herschel Walker that proved to be more formidable than most expected, forcing a special run-off election for Warnock’s U.S. Senate seat. In a narrow win, the incumbent bested the former football star by narrow margins but shows that the efforts of Democrats in the state were not in vain.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, 53, initially defeated former Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler, becoming the first Black senator to represent Georgia, the first Black Democratic Party U.S. Senator elected in the South, and the First Black Democrat elected to the Senate by a former Confederate state. In January 2021, the longtime reverend announced he would indeed run for a full six-year term and faced Walker in a race that went down to the wire the past November.
Once more, the run-off election was another tense affair with droves of counties outside of Atlanta swinging red. However, Warnock’s side saw significant boosts while Walker’s numbers, still impressive, didn’t improve from what was seen in November. The win didn’t change the fortunes of the Democrats as the party has a 51-49 advantage.
NewsOne adds more in their reporting:
“Senate Democrats’ resounding victories have culminated in one of our best campaign cycles in modern history. We won because of the tremendous quality of our candidates, the strength of our message, and the results we have delivered for the American people,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Gary Peters said in a statement sent to NewsOne. “This cycle in state after state and race after race, voters stood with Senate Democrats – and now we have protected and expanded our majority.”
This year’s Senate runoff was subject to SB 202, an election law that makes it harder to cast a vote. Because of the timing of the runoff, a state holiday briefly threatened to prevent voting on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Countless voters wouldn’t have been able to vote if Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr had their way.
Warnock’s victory speech was measured at the start, no doubt calling on his time in the pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the same church the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. presided over. By the end, Warnock’s voice rose as he was met with raucous applause, promising to deliver the same focus on getting things done in Georgia regardless of who voted for him or not.
Sen. Raphael Warnock and his epic win in Georgia caused quite a commotion on social media, especially Twitter, and we’ve got those reactions below.
Thank you, Georgia. We did it again. pic.twitter.com/jikuO5Kt8S
— Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) December 7, 2022
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Photo: Getty
1.
I bet they asked Herschel Walker if he was ready to make his concession speech, and he said, “Yes, two hot dogs please.”
Congratulations @ReverendWarnock
Thank you GA!— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) December 7, 2022
2.
Congratulations to my friend @ReverendWarnock on his re-election to the U.S. Senate, and a special thank you to Georgia voters and organizers who worked tirelessly to make this victory possible.
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) December 7, 2022
3.
For me, this wasn’t about electing Warnock. It was about defeating one of the most disrespectful, cynical, and wildly unqualified campaigns in modern political history.
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) December 7, 2022
4.
Great that Warnock won.
Sad and scary that it was so close against such an abusive, incompetent, unqualified, intellectually unfit, dead beat like Herschel Walker.— Billy Baldwin (@BillyBaldwin) December 7, 2022
5.
More seriously: When I see Raphael Warnock, I’m both heartened and saddened because I see the unfulfilled potential of Clementa Pinckney.
— Joel D. Anderson (@byjoelanderson) December 7, 2022
7.
The Warnock-Walker race results are like a Green book of places to avoid in Georgia.
— Robert Brown (@truthtold8) December 7, 2022
8.
Once again, Georgians have proven that when it comes time to vote, they’ll show up and vote for a leader who will fight for them. Congratulations, @ReverendWarnock!
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 7, 2022
9.
Georgia voters said they wanted a Senator who would fight for them—and made it a reality when they reelected @ReverendWarnock to the U.S. Senate. Congratulations, my friend. pic.twitter.com/uFKbyInyJL
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) December 7, 2022
10.
Georgia was ground zero for voter suppression. Republicans tried to make it harder for Georgians to vote every stop along the way. They tried to keep Black & young Georgians home. But Georgia still turned out & re-elected Warnock for the FOURTH time in TWO years. Incredible.
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) December 7, 2022
11.
Don't get me wrong: I'm ecstatic that Raphael Warnock has been re-elected to the U.S. Senate. But this race shouldn't have been this close. I won't stop turning out Gen Z voters, because it's Gen Z that will make sure Republicans never come this close to winning again.
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) December 7, 2022
12.
That Warnock barely won his race over Herschel Walker reveals what the Republican Party truly thinks about Black people and who white people will supporter to maintain their whiteness. pic.twitter.com/xnV4uyeEz8
— Terrell Jermaine Starr
(@terrelljstarr) December 7, 2022
13.
Relieved Warnock won, but please don’t make the mistake of starting the whole “this proves America has rejected the right wing extremism” narrative—it doesn’t. Herschel Walker is a braindead fool who had 900 scandals and he still barely lost.
— Olayemi Olurin (@msolurin) December 7, 2022
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