Raphael Warnock makes history as Georgia’s first Black senator. Here’s the reaction
Rev. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the high-stakes Georgia Senate runoff Tuesday, becoming the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction.
“Joy comes in the morning. Thank you, Georgia,” Warnock wrote in a Twitter post Wednesday, celebrating the historic win.
The pastor, who has helmed the historic Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr., once preached, beat his opponent by more than 54,100 votes, according to election results posted by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office on Wednesday. His victory was cheered by many on social media, and comes nearly two months after voters flipped Georgia blue by electing President-elect Joe Biden.
“The nation is realizing what we have known all along: Georgia is a battleground state,” voting rights activist and New Georgia Project CEO Nse Ufot tweeted. “Thanks to the relentless work done toward investing in & turning out voters of color. Senator-elect Raphael Warnock’s win is an extraordinary moment in Georgia’s & our country’s history.”
The race between Loeffler and Warnock was one of two Georgia Senate runoffs that would determine which party will have control of the U.S. Senate. The pastor’s win over Loeffler on Tuesday put Democrats closer to clinching the majority, a reality that was cheered on both sides of the aisle.
“I am overjoyed to welcome the history-making @ReverendWarnock to the Senate,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, tweeted. “There’s so much to do and I’m honored to do it alongside you.”
“This was black joy versus a certain kind of white rage. And black joy won,” CNN political commentator Van Jones wrote.
Conservative commentator Matt Drudge also congratulated Warnock on his historic win, while blasting Republicans over their losing candidate, writing: “GOP should have run the real @AnnCoulter, not someone who was trying to ridiculously look and sound like her” — referring to Loeffler.
Warnock’s victory was also met with anger and skepticism from some who latched onto unfounded claims of voter fraud and election mismanagement spouted by President Donald Trump and his supporters.
“Democrats stealing @KLoeffler‘s seat for Warnock,” one Twitter user wrote. “There’s no way true Georgians elected a total wacko, wife beater, liar, racist, Jew hater, Communist over an American loving patriot. NO WAY!”
As the results rolled in late Tuesday, conservative firebrand Tomi Lahren claimed: “The steal is in the making in Georgia. Wait for it.”
Trump also tweeted about an alleged “voter dump” against the Republicans that would put Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff in position to win both Senate seats.
All eyes remained on Georgia on Wednesday, as the race between Ossoff and incumbent Sen. David Perdue hadn’t been called as of early in the afternoon. But by late afternoon, multiple outlets called the race in Ossoff’s favor, giving the Democrats control of the Senate once Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Raphael Warnock makes history as Georgia’s first Black senator. Here’s the reaction."