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.
Maggie Haberman shares Trump quote after Walker loss
Maggie Haberman, New York Times reporter and author of Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, reupped a quote from her recent book about the former president the day after his endorsed candidate in Georgia Senate runoff - Herschel Walker - loss to the Democratic incumbent.
“Trump told me in Sept 2021 for CONFIDENCE MAN that Herschel Walker’s personal history - one that included allegations of abuse - would not hinder him electorally because “the world is changing.” Walker kept the race close, but performed worse than other Rs statewide,” tweeted Ms Haberman, the day after the Georgia runoff.
Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Bolton and defends Trump after Walker loss
Former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton put the blame for the Republican Senate defeat in Georgia squarely on Donald Trump after the race was called for Raphael Warnock over Herschel Walker.
He tweeted: “The outcome in Georgia is due primarily to Trump, who cast a long shadow over this race. His meddling and insistence that the 2020 election was stolen will deliver more losses. Trump remains a huge liability and the Democrat’s best asset. It’s time to disavow him and move on.”
Trump-loyalist, Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene jumped to the defence of the former president but appeared to then blame Mr Walker’s campaign surrogates who often appeared alongside him on the campaign trail.
She tweeted in response to Mr Bolton: “This has to be the dumbest assessment of our Senate loss. His campaign told Trump to stay out, so don’t blame Trump. Blame the one who was hand holding him all over the state, among many other reasons.”
While Ms Greene did not name any specific individuals, anti-Trump Republican group The Lincoln Project was happy to help point the finger of blame at senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz.
What difference does 51 seats in the Senate make?
Jonathan Tamari of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes one way in which the Democrats may be able to capitalise on having that all-important extra seat in the Senate — when confirming nominees for Biden-appointed positions.
Herschel Walker’s son launches scathing attack on his father and Trump
Christian Walker, the conservative social media influencer who is also the son of failed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, has hit out at his father and former president Donald Trump with unsparing criticism after the ex-football star was soundly beaten in Tuesday’s runoff election by Senator Raphael Warnock.
The right-wing TikTok star weighed in on his dad’s humiliating defeat on Twitter, just minutes after news outlets began projecting a victory for Mr Warnock in the fight for a full six-year term in the upper chamber.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Herschel Walker’s son launches harsh attack on his father and Trump over runoff loss
Christian Walker, a right-wing TikTok star, weighed in on his dad’s humiliating defeat on Twitter
Voices: Warnock’s victory means Democrats can drastically reshape the courts
Eric Garcia, The Independent’s chief Washington correspondent, explains that with the extra seat secured by wins in Pennsylvania and Georgia, Democrats are poised to make the Senate a judicial confirmation factory.
Raphael Warnock’s victory means Democrats can drastically reshape the courts
Get ready for the Senate to become a judicial confirmation factory.
How did turnout in the runoff compare to November?
Taking a deep look at the numbers, Steve Kornacki, national political correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, finds that turnout in Georgia for the runoff election was 90 per cent of November’s level.
Notably, five of the six counties where it lagged the most are among the largest Republican-leaning counties in the state. However, some Democrat-leaning counties were also lower than the average such as Fulton County at 87 per cent, though DeKalb County had a better turnout that the average and produced a greater Democrat plurality.
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham frustrated with GOP over Georgia runoff
Fox News host Laura Ingraham vented her frustration at the Republican Party leadership after the network called the Georgia runoff for Democrat Raphael Warnock on Tuesday night.
Speaking with guest conservative author Mollie Hemingway, Ingraham said: “We felt this coming. To me, it never felt like the Senate Republicans wanted this guy in office. He was a Trump pick and they didn't like that.”
She decried the lack of intensity on the part of the party organisation, namely the Republican National Committee under the leadership of Ronna McDaniel.
“We don’t change anything,” Ingraham continued. “We have the same people in place in leadership, same people in place apparently at the RNC, perhaps that’s not changing. But we just keep doing the same thing over and over again. I’m pissed tonight, frankly. I’m mad.”
Watch below:
‘The women that he betrayed, have won’
The women who exposed Herschel Walker’s alleged hypocrisies around abortion rights and family values have celebrated his loss in the Georgia runoff race, saying that “the women that he betrayed have won”.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Women who exposed Herschel Walker celebrate Georgia runoff loss
During his campaign, several women came forward to accuse him of abusive behaviour, pressuring them to have abortions, or of being absent from secret children’s lives – claims that directly contradicted the stance he ran on
As it happened: Georgia race called for Warnock
Here’s how the three major cable news networks — MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News — called the Georgia race for Senator Raphael Warnock.
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