AP
Washington Hispanic:
Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of two ballots for the United States Senate in Georgia on Wednesday, and will be the first black senator in the state’s history while leaving the majority in the upper house at outreach of the Democratic Party.
Warnock, a pastor who spent the last 15 leading the Atlanta church where Martin preached Luther King Jr., defeated Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler. His election is a harsh reprimand for Donald Trump, who made one of his last trips as president to Georgia to mobilize his voter base in favor of Loeffler and the Republican candidate for the other seat at stake, David Perdue.
The focus is now on the second race, between Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff, for which it had not yet turned out because the vote counting continued. If Ossoff wins, Democrats will have full control of Congress, clinching President-elect Joe Biden’s position within days of his inauguration on 20 January.
Warnock’s victory is symbolic of the surprising political turnaround in Georgia as a growing number of diverse and highly educated voters wield their power in the heart of the southern part of the country . It also marks the end of nearly two decades in which Democrats have been out of state office and follows Biden’s victory in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in the state since 1992.
Warnock, 51, acknowledged his unlikely victory in a message to his followers early Wednesday morning , citing his family’s experience with poverty. His mother, he said, used to collect “someone else’s cotton” when he was a teenager.
“Tonight, we show that with hope, hard work and with people on our side, anything is possible, ”he stated.
Loeffler refused to acknowledge his defeat in a brief message to his voters shortly after midnight.
“We have work to do here. This is a set of inches. We are going to win this election, ”insisted Loeffler, a 50 -year-old businesswoman who less than a year ago was elected by the state governor to fill the Senate seat.
Loeffler, who will remain in office until Tuesday’s ballot results are finalized, said he will return to Washington on Wednesday morning to join a small group of senators who plan to challenge Congressional vote to certify Biden’s victory in the presidential elections.
“We are going to continue fighting for you,” said Loeffler, “It’s about protecting the American dream.”