What to know about Raphael Warnock, a potential 2028 White House hopeful

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is fond of saying, “I’m not a senator who used to be a pastor. I’m a pastor serving in the Senate.”

The Georgia Democrat has become one of his party’s most visible national figures, from delivering a primetime address at the 2024 Democratic National Convention to campaigning in battleground states and emerging as a leading Democratic voice on voting rights, affordability and economic mobility.

As speculation grows about whether he could add White House hopeful to his agenda, here are four things to know about the Atlanta Democrat.

1. Warnock and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff were elected in a tumultuous January 2021 runoff election, defeating Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, respectively. Their victories also gave Democrats control of the Senate. Loeffler, defeated by Warnock, was appointed in 2019 to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson. Warnock was then elected to a full six-year term in 2022, defeating former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker.

2. Warnock has been senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005, succeeding a line of ministers that includes the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As pastor and senator, Warnock frequently speaks about criminal justice, healthcare and economic opportunity while also using the pulpit to host political allies.

3. Warnock kept President Joe Biden at arm’s length during his competitive 2022 reelection campaign. By 2024, he had become one of Biden’s most prominent allies, defending the president’s decision to deliver the commencement address at Warnock’s alma mater, Morehouse College, amid protests over the Israel-Hamas war. He later emerged as a key surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign after Biden dropped out of the race.

4. He rides a bike for exercise and often runs in the Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race. Warnock said he once did an interview with MSNBC while cycling near the Augusta Canal. He uses the Senate Gym when in Washington and gets steps just walking between meetings and appointments at the Capitol.

5. He is one of the Democratic Party’s most prolific fundraisers. Warnock has finished first in five consecutive statewide elections, including primaries and runoffs. He has raised more than $338 million since announcing his first campaign.