At or around 10 pm on the night of December 6th, the race for Georgia’s second seat in the U. S. Senate was over.
Reverend Raphael G. Warnock is headed back to the nation’s capital. “After a hard-fought campaign, you got me for six more years,” he said to thunderous applause from staff, supporters and well-wishers.
According to figures from the Georgia Secretary of State office, with more than 94% of precincts reporting, Warnock received 51.37% of the popular vote (1,816,096) to Republican contender Herschel Walker getting 48.63% (1,719,483). The figures confirmed that the race was airtight with Warnock and Walker trading leads most of the night after polls closed at 7 pm statewide. It was at or about 9 pm that Democratic strongholds in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton and the City of Atlanta reported. The surge pushed Warnock into first place where he remained. “One of the things I said when they called the race was that it seemed the numbers aren’t adding up,” Walker said as he conceded. “We’ve had a tough journey, have we not? But there are no excuses in life. I won’t make any now because we put up one heck of a fight.”
Warnock also devoted the lion’s share of his victory to thank his campaign staff, supporters, family and the voters who cast ballots often under less than perfect conditions. “There are those who would look at the outcome of this race and say there is no voter suppression in Georgia. Just because people endured long lines that wrapped around buildings, some blocks long and just because they endured the rain and the cold and all kinds of tricks in order to vote doesn’t mean voter suppression does not exist. It simply means that you the people have decided that your voice will not be silenced.”
Walker had received the endorsement and backing of former President Donald Trump who he called “my friend” several months ago during his televised debate with Warnock. But it seems his “friend” may have contributed to Walker’s undoing since other Republican candidates who felt blessed to have Trump’s undergirding in Georgia and other areas of the country lost their races as well.
Warnock’s victory gives Democrats a 51-49 majority over Republicans in the Senate. It should give President Joe Biden a better chance of getting needed legislation past Congress. Warnock, a proponent of bipartisan cooperation, says the majority edge may help his own efforts as well. “I’m proud of the bipartisan work I’ve done and intend to do more because I actually believe that at the end of the day, we are all Americans.”
Warnock also benefitted from voter turnout for the runoff race. According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, 50.487% of Georgia’s 7,008,263 eligible voters cast ballots. Many took advantage of early voting and opportunities to cast ballots on Saturdays through successful challenges by Civil Rights and voting advocacy groups.
Last updated on December 7, 2022