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Georgia Senate Runoffs: Democrats Win, Control of Senate at Stake

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Rev. Raphael Warnock, a senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, was elected on Tuesday to be the first black senator from Georgia, a repudiation of Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler. The control of the US Senate now comes down to Republican David Perdue who is running to keep his seat against Democrat Jon Ossoff. Warnock's election is the culmination of years of voter registration drives conducted by former state House Democratic leader Stacey Abrams and other activists. President-elect Joe Biden also won Georgia, the first time for a Democratic presidential candidate since the 1990s. The Senate runoffs have attracted enormous attention due to the stakes for the first years of the Biden administration and the state's shift from red to purple.

Key Takeaways:

  • Rev. Raphael Warnock became the first black senator from Georgia, defeating Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and winning the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat.
  • The control of the US Senate now comes down to Republican David Perdue who is running to keep his seat against Democrat Jon Ossoff.
  • President-elect Joe Biden also won Georgia, the first time for a Democratic presidential candidate since the 1990s.
  • The Democratic candidates, Warnock and Ossoff, ran on a unity ticket, while Republican senators Loeffler and Perdue focused on trying to maintain control of the Senate.
  • Trump's refusal to concede his own loss and his attacks on Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger were seen as counterproductive for Republicans and threw Perdue and Loeffler "off message" in the final days of the campaign.
  • The Republican senators attempted to avoid the intraparty feud sparked by Trump by focusing on Ossoff and Warnock, but their efforts ultimately failed.
  • The Georgia US Senate races have attracted enormous attention, with over $520 million spent on advertising in the two runoff races.

Statistics:

  • 20.8 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, and at least 354,000 have died as a result.
  • The two Republican senators, Loeffler and Perdue, had attempted to avoid the intraparty feud sparked by Trump by focusing on Ossoff and Warnock.
  • Political groups spent about $520 million to advertise in the two runoff races, averaging over $8 million per day.
  • Republicans outspent Democrats by tens of millions of dollars.
  • The control of the US Senate now comes down to Republican David Perdue who is running to keep his seat against Democrat Jon Ossoff.

Sources:

  • CNN: Rev. Raphael Warnock becomes first black senator from Georgia, defeating Kelly Loeffler (January 6, 2021)
  • CNN: Trump rallies supporters in Georgia as Biden urges Democrats to win Senate seats (January 4, 2021)
  • Kantar Media/CMAG: $520 million spent on advertising in Georgia Senate runoff races (December 2020)

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