What to know about Tuesday's runoff
- Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated football star Herschel Walker in a runoff, NBC News projected, after neither candidate cleared the threshold for victory in the November midterm elections.
- More than 1.85 million votes were cast ahead of Tuesday's contest, breaking records. Track early voting in the Georgia runoff here. Full results here.
- Warnock’s star rises as his runoff victory expands Democratic power in the Senate — and more key takeaways from Tuesday night.
Key takeaways: Warnock’s win expands Democrats' power in the Senate
ATLANTA — Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock wrapped up his “one more time” tour with a victory Tuesday in the runoff, defeating Republican rival Herschel Walker to secure a six-year term.
Here are four takeaways from the Georgia runoff.
- Warnock's star rises: Warnock has been on the ballot five times in a roughly two-year span and finished first each time. Along the way he has dispensed with three Republican contenders. It’s a remarkable feat for a political newcomer in two different political environments, and even more so for the first Black person elected senator from Georgia, once a bastion of the Confederacy.
- Democrats expand Senate power: Warnock’s victory gives Democrats their 51st seat — an outright majority that ends their reliance on Vice President Kamala Harris for tie-breaking votes. That means smoother sailing on executive nominees and judges. It also means more power for Democrats to issue subpoenas without Republican buy-in, setting up a contrast to the GOP-controlled House’s plans to aggressively investigate the Biden administration. And it means that no single member, like Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., can make or break the party’s agenda.
Christian Walker lashes out at father after election loss
Herschel Walker's son Christian Walker lashed out at his father on Twitter Tuesday night after his election loss.
"The Truth: Trump called my dad for months DEMANDING that he run. Everyone with a brain begged him: "PLEASE DON’T DO THIS. This is too dirty, you have an insane past… PLEASE DONT DO THIS. We got the middle finger. He ran," Christian Walker wrote in one tweet.
He continued, "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."
Walker also attacked the GOP contender for not raising him and his other kids, and choosing to chase "chases more fame and power" instead.
Herschel Walker’s loss is just more bad news for Trump
WASHINGTON — The Trump train is stuck in the station, and it was weighed down Tuesday with the new baggage of corporate tax-fraud convictions and a final midterm defeat.
In the three weeks since former President Donald Trump launched his comeback bid from a ballroom of his Mar-a-Lago club, he has exhibited little of the energy that made him a force in national politics, but many of the behaviors that led voters to oust him two years ago, according to Republican strategists.
During his short campaign, Trump has dominated headlines by dining with the rapper Ye, who has gone on antisemitic tirades in recent weeks, and the white nationalist Nick Fuentes. More recently, Trump advocated for the “termination” of articles of the Constitution as a means to overturn his 2020 defeat.
And on Tuesday night, Herschel Walker’s loss in a Georgia Senate runoff added an exclamation point to the argument that Trump hurt the GOP by picking a bad crop of candidates in swing states. Trump’s Monday tele-rally for Walker didn’t provide the necessary boost.
Raphael Warnock claims victory in Georgia Senate runoff
ATLANTA — Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., claimed victory in a speech to supporters here after NBC News projected his victory over Herschel Walker.
"Thank you Georgia!" he 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."
The win gives Warnock, who was first elected in 2020 in a special election, a six-year term through 2028.
Warnock paid tribute to his mother, Verlene Warnock.
“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."
Herschel Walker appears to accept loss in speech
Walker spoke to a crowd of his supporters around 11 p.m. ET Tuesday after Warnock was declared the winner in their race. The GOP candidate thanked his team and donors, saying, "I’m not gonna make any excuses now because we put up one heck of a fight."
Walker said running for Senate was "the best thing I've ever done in my whole entire life" beyond winning Heisman trophies and winning athletic awards and business awards.
"I want you to continue to believe in this country, believe in our elected officials and most of all, stay together," he said. "Don’t let anyone separate you. Don’t let anyone tell you that we can’t, because I’m here to tell you we can."
He concluded his speech by telling his supporters to "always cast your vote no matter whatever's happening" and to "never, never, never give up."
Senate Democrats celebrate Warnock's win, giving them a 51st seat
Senate Democrats lauded Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory in the Senate runoff contest, tweeting celebratory congratulations after NBC News and other news outlets called the race.
“51!” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. tweeted, in reference to Warnock giving the party their fifty-first seat in the Senate. Schumer added that Warnock’s “well-earned victory is a victory for Georgia, and a victory for democracy and against MAGA Republican extremist policies.”
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., tweeted, “Warnock wins!” while Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted a “Woo-hoo,” for Warnock “heading back to the Senate."
Warnock supporters celebrate with 'All I Do Is Win'
Supporters at Warnock's election night party celebrated shortly after NBC News projected his victory.
The crowd erupted in cheers as DJ Khaled's 2010 hit "All I Do Is Win" (which features Georgia native Ludacris) played. Warnock has now been on the ballot in Georgia five times in about two years — one Democratic primary, two general elections and two runoffs — and won each time.
Biden tells reporters 'we're going to win' moments before NBC News projection
Moments before NBC News called the race for Warnock, President Joe Biden predicted the Democratic incumbent would win re-election in the Senate runoff race.
“We’re going to win. We’re going to win Georgia,” Biden said in response to questions regarding his outlook on the Georgia Senate runoff contest as he exited Air Force One Tuesday night.
Warnock defeated Walker, NBC News projects.
Warnock defeats Walker in Georgia Senate runoff, NBC News projects
Sen. Raphael Warnock has won his second statewide runoff election in the last two years, defeating Republican Herschel Walker in the increasingly purple state of Georgia to capture a six-year term in the Senate, NBC News projected.
The contentious contest caps a 2022 midterm cycle that was unexpectedly bright for Democrats as GOP candidates faltered in key contests, particularly those backed by former President Donald Trump, like Walker. Warnock’s victory gives Democrats a more comfortable 51-seat majority in the Senate.