Democrat and Republican in another close race in Georgia for a Senate seat

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican football legend Herschel Walker were locked in a tight race Tuesday night in the runoff election that will decide the last seat in the US Senate.

As votes continued to be counted across Georgia, Warnock ran strong in and around the Democratic stronghold of Atlanta, while Walker maintained his advantage in Republican-leaning rural areas.

Democrats have already secured a majority in the Senate, so the race will determine whether the party has a 51-49 or 50-50 advantage with US Vice President Kamala Harris voting on a tiebreaker. Runoff victories for Warnock and fellow Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff last year gave Democrats control of the floor in President Joe Biden’s first two years in office.

In the November election, Warnock led Walker by about 37,000 out of nearly four million votes, but lost a majority, forcing a runoff election. About 1.9 million votes have already been cast in the runoff via mail and early voting, which is a plus for Democrats whose constituents voted this way. Overall, Republicans fared better on Election Day itself.

The state was on track for a strong election day, with state officials estimating the total number of votes cast at nearly 1.4 million — slightly more than the November midterms and the 2020 elections. But early and mail voting hasn’t reached the same levels as years past, and that total has been The number of votes cast is likely to be lower than in the second round of the 2021 Senate elections.

Voting rights groups point to changes made by state lawmakers after the 2020 election, which shortened the runoff period from nine weeks to four, as one of the main reasons for the decline in early voting and mailings.

The protracted campaign has become an uphill battle between two black men in a major Southern state: Warnock, the state’s first black senator and premier of the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, and Walker, a former college football star. from Georgia. And a political novice supported by former US President Donald Trump.

A Warnock win would cement Georgia’s status as a battleground heading into the 2024 presidential election. Still, a Walker win could be an indication of Democrat weakness, especially since Georgia Republicans swept all other statewide contests last month.

Walker was waiting for the results Tuesday night at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta, while Warnock was at a nearby hotel.

The Democrats’ 51-49 advantage in the Senate means the party will no longer have to negotiate a power-sharing deal with Republicans and will no longer have to rely on Harris to break as many tie votes as possible.

In November, Walker, 60, finished more than 200,000 votes behind Republican Gov. Brian Kemp after a campaign that was harassed for his slurred campaign rhetoric and devastating allegations, including allegations that he paid for two ex-girlfriends’ abortions — accusations he denied.

Voting went smoothly on Tuesday, although the weather was cool and rainy in some areas earlier in the day. The group has seen very few problems statewide, moving the lines forward and resolving equipment issues quickly, said Stephanie Jackson Ali, policy director for the Georgia Progressive Project Action Fund.

Biden, Trump not welcome

After the general election, Biden, who has struggled with declining approval ratings, vowed to help Warnock any way he can, even if it means staying out of Georgia. Instead, Warnock campaigned with former US President Barack Obama.

Wary of the potential backlash, Walker avoided campaigning with Trump until the final day of the campaign, when the two had a phone call Monday with his supporters.

Walker’s nomination was the Republicans’ last chance to flip a Senate seat this year. Mehmet Oz of Pennsylvania, Blake Masters of Arizona, Adam Laxalt of Nevada and Don Bolduc of New Hampshire have lost competitive Senate races that Republicans saw as part of their path to a majority.

Walker broke with Trump in notable fashion. Trump spent two years falsely claiming his losses in Georgia and was fraudulent nationally, despite being rebuked by numerous federal and local officials and a long list of courts.

In his only debate against Warnock in October, Walker was asked if he would accept the results even if he lost. He answered in one word: “Yes.”