Democrats take back control of Senate with Warnock, Ossoff wins

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff has won against incumbent GOP Sen. David Perdue in an uphill battle in Georgia runoff.
• Earlier, Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock also defeated Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler.
• Both Perdue and Loeffler have not yet conceded.

Democrats will now take control of the Senate as party candidate Jon Ossoff won over incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue in the Georgia runoff, as The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

“It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate,” Ossoff said as the counting is being finalized.

“Everybody who cast your ballot, everybody who put your faith and confidence in our democracy’s capacity to deliver the representation that we deserve — whether you were for me, or against me — I’ll be for you in the U.S. Senate,” the incoming neophyte senator said, adding that he “will serve all” Georgians.

At 33, Ossoff will be the country’s youngest senator as well as the first Jewish senator from the Peach State. He joins Raphael Warnock as both of them won the race against their GOP rivals. Warnock, a pastor, and a social activist, beat GOP Senator Kelly Loeffler. He will become Georgia’s first black senator.

With Georgia’s victory, Democrats are now tied with Republicans with 50-50 seats in the Senate. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who will be seating as Senate President, would give the edge for Democratic dominion in Congress’ upper chamber.

While Ossoff gets a full six-year term, Warnock would only have two years in tenure as he fills in the remaining years vacated by former Senator Johnny Isakson after being replaced by Loeffler in January last year.

The tight battle was expected as both parties pushed for their candidates in a bid to take hold of the Senate. President-elect Joe Biden attended a rally in Georgia on Monday to endorse both Warnock and Ossoff while Harris also campaigned on her own a day earlier.

For his part, President Donald Trump also campaigned for Perdue and Loeffler late Monday.

According to AdImpact (an ad-tracking firm), from November 4 up to January 5, political advertisements of the two runoff reached nearly $500 million, which were described as one of the most expensive Senate races in US history.

Both Loeffler and Perdue have not yet conceded in their loss. Since 2000, Democrats never won a senate seat in Georgia.

Source: NPR.org