U.S. News

Democrats Sweep Georgia Senate Runoffs

In A Stunning Victory, Democrats Win Both Georgia Senate Seats and Take Back The Senate

Editor Tyler Bagent

On January 6th, 2020, Democratic Georgia Senate Candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were officially declared as Senators-elect by major media outlets, flipping both Georgia Senate seats to the Democrats and flipping Senate Control with them. These wins mean that the Democratic Party will control all three branches of government coming January 20th, when President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are sworn in.

As of January 11th, Jon Ossoff leads incumbent Senator David Perdue by 1.1 points, and Raphael Warnock leads incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler by 2 points. Both Senators Perdue and Loeffler have conceded their races. Raphael Warnock, who is a pastor at the biggest African-American church in Georgia, drove up turnout with African-Americans and outran Ossoff by nearly an entire percentage point.

These victories for the Democrats mean that they have taken back the US Senate for the first time since 2014, giving the Democrats control of all three branches of government. The Senate will sit at 50-50, meaning that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will break any tie that occurs when she is sworn in.

These victories have largely been attributed to grassroots organizers across the state, led by Former 2018 Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams. Warnock and Ossoff won mostly due to record shattering African-American turnout, especially in rural areas. Turnout nearly met that of the November Election, and actually exceeded it in and around Atlanta, particularly in both Fulton and DeKalb counties.

As of now, Ossoff and Warnock look to be sworn in next week after the certification of the results. Georgia’s seemingly overnight flip to a swing state has further strengthened Democrats nationwide, and has further highlighted the importance of African-Americans to the Democratic coalition.