ATLANTA – Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has won a full term in the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican football legend Herschel Walker in a campaign that tested Georgia's position as a purple state and spurred debates about race, celebrity and partisan politics.
Warnock's victory gives Democrats a 51-49 Senate majority, ending their reliance on the vice president to break ties in an evenly divided chamber and improving the party's prospects for holding its majority in 2024.
In an election that hinged as much on the personalities of the two candidates as the policies they promoted, Warnock embraced his identity as a pastor to draw contrasts with his opponent, whose candidacy was dogged by controversy.
Throughout the campaign, Walker stumbled to respond to allegations of domestic violence and claims that he paid for ex-girlfriends' abortions, despite expressing support for a nationwide ban on the procedure. He was also prone to gaffes and false claims, exaggerating his record in academics and business and displaying a loose grasp of policy.
This is Warnock's second runoff win in less than two years. In January 2021, he won another runoff contest to fill out the term of a retiring Republican, flipping the seat blue for the first time in years and clinching Democratic control of the Senate.
Warnock is the first Black U.S. senator from Georgia. The campaign between Walker and Warnock made history as the first time two African Americans ran as the major party's nominees for U.S....
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