Georgia made history last night, electing Rev. Raphael Warnock as the state’s first black Senator. The senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church defeated incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler. Warnock’s win puts the Democrats one step closer to control of the US Senate. Democratic Senate Candidate Jon Ossoff currently leads his race with incumbent Republican, David Perdue. With the votes still being counted, Ossoff leads by over 16 thousand votes.
Black voters were vital in this year’s election, led in part by registration efforts of Stacey Abrams and organizations such as Black Voters Matter, March On, and more.
Warlock faced a racially tinged campaign with his opponent painting him as a radical liberal. Loeffler even accused Warnock of “defending the hatred” of retired Chicago Pastor, Rev. Jerimiah Wright. The misleading ad falsely misconstrued Rev. Wright’s words in his criticism of America. In the days leading up to the election, Loeffler stood firm with Trump. Despite Trump’s leaked audio footage attempting to persuade the Secretary of state to change election results, she recently said she intends to join her Republican colleagues in objecting to the certification of Joe Biden’s election win.
“Tonight, we proved that with hope, hard work, and the people by your side, anything is possible,” Senator-Elect, Warnock said. While most media outlets have called the race, Loeffler refuses to concede, saying, “We have a path to victory, and we’re staying on it.”
Warnock’s win and the potential win of Ossoff send a black man and a Jewish man to Washington to represent Georgia. Georgia has not had Democratic representation for over 20 years. Jon Ossoff is expected to speak to the public this morning.
Interim Managing Editor Danielle Sanders is a writer and journalist living in Chicago. Find her on social media @DanieSandersOfficial.
About Post Author
