Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff claimed victory in their respective U.S. Senate runoff elections as vote counting continued. Warnock declared that he’d won late Tuesday evening, while Ossoff waited until Wednesday morning to declare his win.
At the time of press with over 98 percent reporting in for both races, Warnock led Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) by over 55,600 votes, or just over 1 point. Ossoff led Republican incumbent David Perdue (R-GA) by over 18,400 votes, or just over half a point.
“We were told we couldn’t win this election. But tonight, we proved that with hope, hard work, and the people by our side anything is possible,” stated Warnock.
Warnock called for everyone to put aside their differences to work with him.
“Washington has a choice to make. In fact, all of us have a choice to make: will we continue to divide, distract, and dishonor one another? Or will we love our neighbors as we love ourselves?” asked Warnock. “Will we play political games while real people suffer? Or will we win righteous fights together, standing shoulder to shoulder for the good of Georgia, for the good of our country?”
Ossoff shared a message similar to Warnock’s, noting that he would represent all of Georgia – including those who voted against him.
“Thank you for electing me to serve in the United States Senate. Thank you for the confidence and trust that you have placed in me,” stated Ossoff. “At this moment of crisis as COVID-19 continues to ravage our state and our country, when hundreds of thousands have lost their lives, millions have lost livelihoods, Georgia families are having difficulty putting food on the table, fearing foreclosure or eviction, having difficulty making ends meet – let’s unite now to beat this virus and rush economic relief to people of our state and the American people.”
Following the news of Ossoff and Warnock’s leads, protestors flooded the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. Police escorted Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff out of the Capitol. Protestors also stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., around the same time.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jon Ossoff” by Jon Ossoff.
