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CBS News projects that incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock wins the U.S. Senate runoff successful Georgia, defeating Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
This volition beryllium Warnock's archetypal afloat six-year term.
In the wide election, Warnock topped Walker by implicit 37,000 votes, but with 49.4% of the vote, Warnock failed to transverse the 50% threshold indispensable to debar a runoff.
A record-breaking fig of aboriginal voters turned retired successful the runoff, smashing each erstwhile records. According to Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Gabriel Sterling, implicit 1.8 cardinal radical voted early. Friday, the past time of aboriginal voting, was the azygous biggest aboriginal voting time ever, with much than 353,000 Georgians casting their ballots, according to the state's apical elections official, Gabriel Sterling.
Early voting for the runoff has been highest successful respective Democratic leaning counties astir Atlanta, specified arsenic Fulton, Gwinnett and DeKalb County. Some GOP leaders are looking up to coming elections with the knowing that they indispensable summation their ain aboriginal voting numbers to beryllium competitive.
"What we bash request is, our voters request to ballot early," RNC seat Ronna McDaniel said connected Fox News earlier Tuesday. "I person said this implicit and implicit again. There were galore successful 2020 saying, 'Don't ballot by mail, don't ballot early,' and we person to halt that."
A record-breaking fig of aboriginal voters turned retired successful the runoff, smashing each erstwhile records. According to Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Gabriel Sterling, implicit 1.8 cardinal radical voted early. Friday, the past time of aboriginal voting, was the azygous biggest aboriginal voting time ever, with much than 353,000 Georgians casting their ballots, according to Sterling.
Since Democrats flipped the spot successful Pennsylvania and successfully defended the different seats successful play successful the November midterm elections, Democrats volition clasp power of the Senate, careless of the result connected Tuesday. But they volition person much powerfulness if they power the enclosure 51-49 since they volition not person to enactment retired a power-sharing statement with Republicans. This volition beryllium the past predetermination of the 2022 midterm cycle.
Walker picked up a last-minute endorsement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and erstwhile President Donald Trump held a telerally for Walker implicit the weekend. Walker told CBS News' Nikole Killion connected Tuesday greeting that helium believed they would triumph by 100,000 votes.
Warnock spent Tuesday with canvassers successful get retired the ballot efforts. He told CBS News' Nikole Killion that helium felt the aboriginal turnout was bully for his run and "now we're going to triumph this election."
According to exit polls connected Election Day, voters successful Georgia were divided successful their views of the astir important qualities successful a candidate: 36% said it was astir important that the campaigner shared their values, portion 32% said a candidate's honesty and integrity were astir important to them.
Ahead of the wide election, Walker's run was rocked successful October by allegations that helium paid for astatine slightest 1 pistillate to person an abortion. He has denied the allegations, and nationalist Republicans stuck by him.
Georgia played a cardinal relation successful the 2020 elections, erstwhile the races for some Senate seats went into special runoff elections successful January 2021, yet flipping some seats from Republican to Democratic. Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue led Jon Ossoff aft Election Night with 49.7% of the vote, but helium ended up falling abbreviated successful the runoff connected Jan. 5, 2021. In the contention for the different seat, Warnock led incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler successful a 21-person contention connected Election Day, and helium prevailed successful the peculiar predetermination to capable the vacancy near erstwhile Sen. Johnny Isakson stepped down.
Elizabeth Campbell and Aaron Navarro contributed to this report.
Schumer says Warnock's projected triumph is simply a triumph "for democracy"
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who volition person 1 much ballot successful his enclosure travel Januar, said successful a connection that Warnock's triumph "shows erstwhile again that Democrats are successful sync with America and MAGA Republicans are not."
"Reverend Warnock's well-earned triumph is not conscionable a triumph for Georgia, but besides for ideology – arsenic the past ceramic successful our firewall against extremist MAGA Republican policies that endanger the precise essence of our democracy," Schumer said. "Tonight, we observe – for my person Raphael, for his beloved authorities of Georgia, for a Democratic Senate, and astir of all, for our country. Tomorrow, we volition rotation up our sleeves and get backmost to work."
CBS News projects Warnock volition bushed Walker
CBS News projects Warnock volition bushed Walker and clasp his spot successful the Senate, securing Democrats 51 seats successful the Senate.
Warnock's projected triumph strengthens Democrats' leverage successful the Senate, allowing them to much easy corroborate the president's nominees and making it little apt they'll often request Vice President Kamala Harris to interruption ties.
This is Warnock's archetypal afloat six year term.
Long-term impacts of Georgia runoff connected Capitol Hill
As votes successful the Georgia runoff predetermination are being tallied, governmental analysts are examining the semipermanent effects of the contention connected Capitol Hill. CBS News governmental analogous Caitlin Huey-Burns and CBS News main predetermination and run analogous Robert Costa joined "Red and Blue" to explicate the lasting impacts heading into the 2024 statesmanlike election.
"We're going to triumph Georgia," Biden says
President Biden offered an optimistic projection to reporters Tuesday nighttime upon his instrumentality from a time travel to Phoenix.
"We're going to win," the president said, asked however helium feels astir the Peach State. "We're going to triumph Georgia."
CBS News characterizes the contention arsenic thin Democratic
CBS News characterizes Georgia Senate runoff contention arsenic leaning Democratic. This standing tin alteration passim the nighttime arsenic much precincts study their ballot totals.
8:04 PMPolls adjacent successful Georgia Senate runoff election
Polls are present closed successful Georgia, wherever Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is defending his Senate spot against Republican challenger Herschel Walker successful a runoff election. CBS News legislature analogous Nikole Killion joined John Dickerson connected "Prime Time" from Atlanta to sermon the latest.
Ossoff says predetermination result "matter profoundly to maine and to each Georgian"
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has been campaigning for Warnock, told CBS News' Nikole Killion connected Tuesday that contempt that the equilibrium of powerfulness is already set, the runoff predetermination is inactive important.
"Putting speech the nationalist equilibrium of power, nationalist politics, it matters profoundly to maine and to each Georgian who represents america for the adjacent years successful the U.S. Senate," Ossoff said. "The opposition betwixt Sen. Warnock and his hostile successful character, successful competence, successful integrity is arsenic immense arsenic I've ever seen."
Polls close
The polls person closed crossed the Peach State, though broad results won't beryllium disposable immediately. Anyone who was successful enactment astatine a polling presumption earlier 7 p.m. tin inactive formed a ballot.
6:19 PM / December 6, 2022Final time of voting successful Georgia Senate runoff underway aft hotly contested race
Tuesday is the last time of voting successful Georgia's hotly contested Senate runoff. Democratic incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock is looking to support his spot against Trump-backed challenger Herschel Walker. CBS News governmental newsman Aaron Navarro discussed the latest successful Norcross, Georgia.
Biden acceptable the "messaging" for Democrats successful midterm elections, Jean-Pierre says
When asked if President Joe Biden would beryllium doing immoderate last-minute outreach successful Georgia, White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre repeated Tuesday that Mr. Biden had phonebanked for Warnock implicit the weekend. Jean-Pierre said Mr. Biden acceptable the "messaging" for Democrats successful the midterm elections.
Mr. Biden did not question to Georgia to run up of the runoff, though erstwhile President Barack Obama campaigned with Warnock implicit the weekend.
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