Comment ATLANTA — Democrat Raphael G. Warnock on Tuesday was expected to win re-election to represent Georgia in the Senate, defeating Republican Herschel Walker in a tight runoff and expanding his party’s slim majority in the House. It was a hard-fought victory for Democrats in an increasingly purple state that was central to the party’s gains last election cycle and is expected to be a key battleground in 2024. The turnout for Walker, 60, a former football star in Georgia, it wasn’t enough to offset a strong performance in the Atlanta area by Warnock, 53, a pastor at a historic city church. Warnock’s victory gave Democrats their 51st Senate seat – giving them more power in a chamber that for two years has been evenly split, with Vice President Harris having the power to break ties and two Democrats being able to vote with swing to make or break their party plans. The result also capped a disappointing midterm cycle for Republicans, who had expected a red wave but failed to retake the Senate and reclaimed the House majority by just a few seats. Walker, a first-time candidate who has been ridiculed for gaffes, accused of serious misconduct and elevated by former President Donald Trump, explained broader Republican concerns that their candidates — and Trump — were undermining their chances. His loss prompted more calls for a review of the party’s direction and strategy. With more than 97% of the vote counted on Tuesday night, Warnock was ahead of Walker by almost 2.5 percentage points. An estimated 3.5 million people voted in the second round, slightly lower than the 3.9 million who voted in the general election. The DJ at Warnock’s election night party played DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” right after CNN announced that Warnock was predicted to win. Declaring victory late on Tuesday, Warnock said he was honored to “utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy” – “the people have spoken”. “I’m proud of the bipartisan work that I’ve done,” he said, “and I plan to do more because I really believe that at the end of the day, we’re all Americans.” Walker’s supporters gathered in a prayer circle at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta as the media began calling the game. In conceding Tuesday night, Walker said he would not make excuses for his loss because “we had a good fight.” Throughout the campaign, he he criticized the incumbent as a reliable vote for President Biden’s agenda and said he would check Democratic power in Washington and represent “Georgia values.” Analysis: The difference 51 votes make for Democrats in the Georgia runoff Warnock campaigned on Democratic priorities such as legislation to lower drug prices and appealed directly to independents and moderate Republicans, calling Walker unfit for public office and saying the race should come down to “character and ability.” . He also promised to support abortion access as his opponent adopted strict bans that took effect in Georgia and other states after his fall Roe v. Wade — building a strong opposition to an issue that has helped mobilize Democrats nationally in an otherwise scary election year. Independent Kyle Cartledge said he backed Warnock because Walker’s blunders and the High Court ruling were overturned Roe alienated him from Republicans this year. “I wish we had more middle ground, but we don’t seem to these days,” said William Shank, who voted for Walker but said he wasn’t thrilled with his choices. In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) said Warnock would serve as “the last brick in our firewall” against GOP threats to democracy. Both parties always expected a close contest and had colossal resources at their disposal, with candidates and outside groups spending a combined $380 million on ads for the seat throughout the election cycle. Campaigns focused heavily on personal get-out-the-vote efforts during the runoff, saying the outcome would depend on each candidate’s ability to show up to their base a second time. Georgia GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker on Dec. 6 said his campaign was the “best thing” he’s done since losing to Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.). (Video: The Washington Post) Republicans hoped that disillusionment with Biden and the economy would remain a strong motivator and recruited surrogates for Walker, including Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who had distanced himself from the Senate candidate during his own battle for re-election. But as Tuesday approached, some expressed growing doubts about Walker’s ability to put together a winning coalition without more popular Republicans like Kemp on the ballot. The GOP challenges only appeared to worsen in the runoff, with Republicans openly at odds and Democrats increasing their spending advantage. Outside groups have helped Walker try to match Warnock’s general election fundraising record, and he has invested more in the past four weeks. But Democrats ended up spending about twice as much as Republicans on ads in the runoff, pulling in about $60 million more in the race. In the Georgia runoff, the GOP worries about Walker, Trump and the future of the party While Democrats entered the runoff with a Senate majority in hand, a 51st seat would still have big consequences. Democrats are now expected to take a one-seat majority on the committees, which are currently evenly split under a power-sharing deal with Republicans. This would speed up the confirmation process for judicial and executive nominees by preventing ties and give Democrats more leverage in oversight hearings. Another seat would also allow Democrats more room to confirm nominees and pass bills over objections from their caucus. Two moderate senators, Joe Manchin III (DW.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), currently wield enormous power to reshape or destroy the legislation. And it strengthens the Democrats’ position by leading to an ominous 2024 Senate map where they will have to defend many vulnerable incumbents and have a tougher chance of a pickup. Warnock’s victory marks the first time in more than a century that all incumbent senators have been re-elected and the first time since 1934 that a president’s party has won both the Senate and the governor’s seats in a midterm. Democrats won two more governorships this cycle. Karen Schultz, 66, said she almost didn’t get out to vote because of the rain and fog in the metro Atlanta area. But “I felt so guilty and said to my husband, ‘We just have to go vote. We have to do our part,” he said. Republicans did well in Georgia last month despite their national shortcomings. Kemp won handily in a rematch with Democrat Stacey Abrams. However, Walker received about 200,000 fewer votes than Kemp, becoming the only statewide GOP candidate not to win on Nov. 8. Warnock ran about 1 percentage point ahead of Walker in the general election, but fell short of the 50 percent needed to win outright in Georgia. Walker gave his latest rally in Kennesaw, Ga., flanked by GOP leaders, including Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who called his fight a “critical position that will allow us to stop Joe Biden and Warnock’s destructive agenda that is killing our country. “ Speaking at the same event, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called the runoff an opportunity for Republicans to show that the recent election of Biden and two Democratic senators in the state was a “hiccup.” In an interview Tuesday night, Dianne Putnam, the chairwoman of the Whitfield County Republican Party, insisted that Georgia remains a “red state.” “People didn’t vote straight like they should have, and that’s what Republicans usually do,” he said of Walker falling behind Kemp in November. “I don’t get it, I really don’t. It’s a mystery to me.” Ben Burnett, a conservative podcast host and former city councilman in a suburb of Atlanta, echoed calls for the GOP to take a hard look at its strategy. “Winning the suburbs should be the first question the GOP asks, not the last question we never answer,” he said. With nearly 2 million ballots cast before Tuesday, the runoff has fueled growing GOP concerns about their party’s reliance on a large turnout Tuesday over early voting. Democrats were boosted by high black voter turnout last week and said they believed they had beaten the GOP into the ground, despite Republican investments to redefine Kemp’s operation to get off the ballot last month. Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church — where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached — will now serve a full, six-year term. Last year, he won a special election to replace Republican Johnny Isaacson, who resigned due to health concerns, becoming Georgia’s first black senator. He and fellow Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) both prevailed in a January 2021 runoff that gave Democrats control of the Senate and underscored the state’s changing political identity. In 2020, Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the traditionally conservative state since Bill Clinton in 1992. Some Republicans accused Trump of undermining their party’s chances in the runoff by focusing on his own primary loss, pressuring Georgia officials to overturn the results and spreading GOP distrust of the election system. Trump has also been projected in the 2022 midterm elections, often boosting inexperienced or polarizing candidates in primary victories in battleground races. He supported Walker but stayed away from Georgia during the general election. “It’s not his time to come — not his time and place right now,” Fulton County Republican Party Chairman Trey Kelly said of Trump on Tuesday night. Trump and Walker’s teams agreed that the former president’s presence would not be helpful during the runoff, according to Trump advisers who spoke on condition of anonymity to share private conversations. Walker did not advertise a Monday conference call…
