Democrats win the Senate as Ossoff defeats Perdue; Warnock tops Loeffler
Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both won Senate runoffs in Georgia, giving Democrats control of the Senate.
Ossoff is projected to defeat incumbent Republican David Perdue in Georgia’s runoff elections, according to NBC News and CBS, giving Democrats a majority in the Senate.
Ossoff’s victory came hours after Democrat Raphael Warnock prevailed over incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler.
The pair of Democratic wins in Georgia mean a 50-50 split in the Senate, effectively giving Democrats control of the chamber since Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be able to cast tie-breaking votes.
Ossoff, at 33, will be the youngest member of the Senate when he is sworn into office.
Ossoff, a CEO of a London-based investigative documentary company, entered the national political scene four years ago when he narrowly lost a special election in Georgia 6th Congressional District in a race that drew national attention, making it the most expensive House election at the time. Perdue, 71, was first elected to the senate in 2014. Prior to being elected to Congress, Perdue was a businessman who worked for companies like Reebok, PillowTex, a North Carolina textile company and Dollar General.
– Nicholas Wu (USA Today)
