The man who regularly delivers firebrand sermons from the same pulpit as did Daddy King and his son, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became Georgia’s first-ever Black senator in one of the most important Senate elections in recent history.
Dr. Raphael Warnock has been projected to defeat Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to the job by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill out the unexpired term of the retired Johnny Isakson.
President-elect Joe Biden congratulated Warnock on his win late Wednesday morning.
NEW: Biden statement on the Georgia Senate run-off results pic.twitter.com/kAMmwlL52R
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) January 6, 2021
Reaction to Warnock’s historic victory spread far and wide over the nation’s social media cyberwaves, not only from political leaders and activists but regular voters as well.
“We were told that we couldn’t win this election. But tonight, we proved that with hope, hard work & the people by our side, anything is possible.”
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) January 6, 2021
Rev. Warnock, Senator-elect from GREAT state of Georgia (who’ll serve w/Jon Ossoff, who’ll also soon be declared winner). #YES
On this special kinda Wednesday, a live look at @ReverendWarnock arriving at the U.S. Senate.....14 Days! pic.twitter.com/0QvDxsXul2
— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) January 6, 2021
Voters woke to Wednesday morning still awaiting the outcome of Georgia’'s other U.S. senate runoff between GOP incumbent David Perdue and his Democratic challenger, Jon Ossoff.
My mom literally just woke me up to scream that Jon Ossoff has taken an over 12,000 vote lead and Reverend Raphael Warnock was projected the winner. WE FLIPPED THE SENATE BLUE! Stacey Abrams and LaTosha Brown are the heroes and icon John Lewis is smiling down. Amazing. 💙
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) January 6, 2021
Warnock has spent the past 15 years leading the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, an iconic symbol itself of the civil rights movement.
Ppl keep pointing out that Warnock is the 1st blk senator from the state of GA, but for blk ppl it’s bigger that that. He is the first black senator in American history elected by black ppl, meaning blk ppl were the MAJORITY of the coalition that swept him into office.
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) January 6, 2021
Not every social media post was in support of the new senator.
Senator Radical Liberal Raphael Warnock has a nice ring to it 😉
— Captain Jordy (@J_Mei21) January 6, 2021
I’ve saved more black lives from Abortion and helped to free more blacks from prison than Ossoff or Warnock ever will.
— Angela Stanton King 🇺🇸 (@theangiestanton) January 6, 2021
Mark my words
Warnock’s victory is a symbol of a striking shift in Georgia’s politics as the swelling number of diverse, college-educated voters flex their power in the heart of the Deep South.
Does anyone actually believe Georgia elected a man with a history of domestic abuse to the Senate? A man who hosted Fidel Castro at his church?
— Errol Webber For CA Governor (@ErrolWebber) January 6, 2021
There’s no way the people of Georgia went for that.
Warnock follows Biden’s victory in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.
Republicans in Georgia in November won 51% of all votes cast for congressional races; 53% for state house races; and 54% for state senate races. Then the President and the State GOP Chairman spent two months telling Republicans the game was rigged and the election was stolen.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) January 6, 2021
Warnock, 51, acknowledged his improbable victory in a message to supporters early Wednesday, citing his family’s experience with poverty. His mother, he said, used to pick “somebody else’s cotton” as a teenager.
Congratulations @ReverendWarnock! Georgia has never sent a better man to the US Senate. MLK, Julian Bond and John Lewis are smiling down from Heaven! pic.twitter.com/QBw7nrEOt1
— Ben Jealous (@BenJealous) January 6, 2021
“The other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton picked her youngest son to be a United States senator,” he said. “Tonight, we proved with hope, hard work and the people by our side, anything is possible.”
I’m a white Englishman in the UK. The elections in Georgia have absolutely nothing to do with me, and quite frankly, my soft boiled egg, cup of tea and the cats happiness should be far more important, but,
— jestershead (@jestershead) January 6, 2021
Stacey Abrams, Raphael Warnock & Jon Ossoff have really made my day. 😁
The Associated Press declared Warnock the winner after an analysis of outstanding votes showed there was no way for Loeffler to catch up to his lead. Warnock’s edge is likely to grow as more ballots are counted, many of which were in Democratic-leaning areas.
Loeffler refused to concede in a brief message to supporters shortly after midnight.
The extraordinary legacy of #MartinLutherKing continues with the historic election @ReverendWarnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, to the U.S. Senate. So proud of @ReverendWarnock! So proud of Georgia!
— Valerie Jarrett (@ValerieJarrett) January 6, 2021
“We’ve got some work to do here. This is a game of inches. We’re going to win this election,” insisted Loeffler, a 50-year-old former businesswoman who was appointed to the Senate less than a year ago by the state’s governor.
Loeffler, who remains a Georgia senator until the results of Tuesday’s election are finalized, said she would return to Washington on Wednesday morning to join a small group of senators planning to challenge Congress’ vote to certify Biden’s victory.
“We are going to keep fighting for you,” Loeffler said, “This is about protecting the American dream.”
