Georgia runoff results – live: Warnock’s win cements Democrats 2024 blueprint as women celebrate Walker’s loss
Warnock’s victory gives Democrats a 51-49 majority in the Senate
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Democratic incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock sailed to victory over Republican challenger Herschel Walker on Tuesday night as the two candidates went head-to-head in the runoff race for Georgia’s crucial Senate seat.
The race was called in Mr Warnock’s favour at around 10.30pm, sending him to Washington DC for a full six-year term and giving Democrats a 51-49 majority in the Senate.
Following Mr Walker’s defeat, several of his former partners and the football star’s son celebrated the election results.
One woman who had a relationship with him in 2006 told The Daily Beast that it spelled a victory for the many women who had come forward to accuse him of encouraging them to have abortions or of being absent from his children’s lives – claims that directly contradicted the stance Mr Walker ran on.
“The Senate race tonight not only vindicates that democracy has won but the women that he betrayed, have won,” she said.
In a lengthy Twitter thread, Mr Walker’s son Christian Walker also branded his father “pathetic” and claimed that he had ignored everyone but Donald Trump around whether or not he should have ran.
Herschel Walker’s son reacts to former footballer’s defeat
Christian Walker, the son of Republican former football star Herschel Walker, reacted with a long and angry rant following his father’s defeat in the Georgia Senate runoff election.
His reaction came soon after results were called in by several media outlets.
“Don’t beat women, hold guns to peoples heads, fund abortions then pretend your pro-life, stalk cheerleaders, leave your multiple minor children alone to chase more fame, lie, lie, lie, say stupid crap, and make a fool of your family.. And then maybe you can win a senate seat,” he tweeted.
Did Trump tank the GOP’s chances in Georgia?
If Herschel Walker loses the Georgia Senate runoff, many will be quick to blame Donald Trump for endorsing him — and for opening up a lane of outrageous, celebrity-first politics Walker is clearly drawing from.
However, as Independent DC bureau chief Eric Garcia argues, the rest of the party enabled Walker too.
“It’d be easy for Republicans to blame Trump for backing Herschel Walker, but it wasn’t just Trump,” Eric wrote on Twitter. “Mitch McConnell backed him, John Thune backed him. Rick Scott campaigned for him. Nearly every GOP elite got behind him.”
Here’s an in-depth look at the question, from the Independent Voices section.
Trump saddles GOP with all of his baggage and none of his benefits
He holds no office and his popularity is waning. But Republicans are stuck with his candidates and having to answer for his every word
Warnock says ‘we did it again’ in his first tweet after victory
Raphael Warnock reacted with gratitude as his supporters at an election night party broke into celebration soon after the announcement.
The Democratic senator has now been on the ballot in Georgia five times in two years following two general elections and two runoffs.
Watch as Warnock supporters break into celebration
The crowd at Warnock’s election night party began celebrating soon after elections were called in by outlets.
The supporters and campaign workers danced and cheer as DJ Khaled’s 2010 hit “All I Do Is Win” played in the background.
Democrats react to Warnock’s ‘well-earned victory’
Reactions have started pouring in to Raphael Warnock’s victory, with Democrats praising him for giving the party an outright majority – 51 seats to 49 – in the Senate.
Chuck Schumer reacted with just “51!” in a tweet, before saying that it is the victory of democracy.
Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, congratulated Warnock, praising him for the work he has done for the state.
Kamala Harris says Georgia has got a senator who ‘would fight for them'
Reacting to Raphael Warnock’s victory, vice president Kamala Harris said Georgia voters wanted a Senator who would fight for them and they made it a reality.
Watch Obama’s epic takedown of Walker
On Thursday, former president Barack Obama made one final visit to Atlanta to campaign for Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election.
The two-term president returned to Georgia and brutally mocked Republican Senate nominee and former University of Georgia running back Herschel Walker. Specifically, he made fun of Mr Walker’s speech a few weeks ago where he said he would rather be a werewolf than a vampire.
“This is a debate that I must confess I once had myself - when I was seven. Then I grew up,” Mr Obama said to uproarious laughter.
Eric Garcia reports.
Herschel Walker’s son lashes out at Trump and Republicans for ‘demanding’ father run
Christian Walker, the son of former football star Herschel Walker, lashed out at Donald Trump and Republicans in a long and angry rant following his father’s defeat in the Georgia Senate runoff election.
Calling it “the truth”, Mr Walker said the former president contacted his father for months demanding that he run for elections.
“Everyone with a brain begged him: ‘PLEASE DON’T DO THIS. This is too dirty, you have an insane past… PLEASE DONT DO THIS’”.
He said he was chosen by Republicans for “identity politics” even though he did not have a political background.
“Republicans, we say we don’t play ‘identity politics’ and then you ran this man mainly because he was the same skin color as his opponent with no background other than football. A boring old Republican could have won,” he said.
Warnock claims victory in Georgia Senate runoff
Raphael Warnock claimed victory in Georgia’s Senate runoff election to a cheering crowd at the Democrat’s election night party.
“Thank you Georgia!” Mr Warnock, a Baptist preacher, said. “I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and to God be the glory.
“And after a hard-fought campaign — or should I say campaigns — it is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy: The people have spoken.
“Let’s celebrate for a little while on this mountain. Let’s dance because we deserve it. But tomorrow we go back down into the valley to do the work,” he told a cheering crowd of supporters.
Paying tribute to his mother Verlene Warnock, he said: “She grew up in the 1950s in Waycross, Georgia, picking somebody else’s cotton and somebody else’s tobacco,” he said.
“But tonight she helped pick her youngest son to be a United States senator.”
Watch Warnock bringing his mother on stage after victory speech
Raphael Warnock brought his family, including his 85-year-old mother on stage, after he paid a touching tribute to her.
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