Extract from ABC News
Democrat Raphael Warnock has won one of two runoff elections for the US Senate being held in Georgia, according to multiple US media outlets including the Associated Press, NBC News and CNN.
Key points:
- Democrats need to win both races to take the Senate majority and control of the new Congress when Mr Biden takes office
- Major US media outlets have declared Democratic candidate Reverend Raphael Warnock as the winner of one of the races
- The contest between Republican Senator David Perdue and his Democratic challenger, documentary filmmaker Jon Ossoff remains close
The pastor, who spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Junior once preached, is projected to become the first black senator in his state's history and puts a Senate majority within the Democrats' reach.
The Associated Press declared Mr Warnock the winner after an analysis of outstanding votes showed there was no way for Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler to catch up to his lead.
The focus now shifts to the second race between Republican David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff.
Although it is still too early to call the race, Mr Ossoff, who currently holds a small lead, declared he had won in a video posted on his Twitter account.
"It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate. Thank you for the confidence and trust that you have placed in me," he said.
Under Georgia law, a trailing candidate may request a recount when the margin of an election is less than or equal to 0.5 percentage points.
If Mr Ossoff officially wins, Democrats will have complete control of Congress, strengthening president-elect Joe Biden’s standing as he prepares to take office on January 20.
The close margins in that race mean the winner might not be clear until at least Wednesday morning, local time.
The critical races drew an estimated 4.5 million voters — a record for a runoff election — along with nearly half a billion dollars in advertising spending since November 3.
President Donald Trump and president-elect Joe Biden both visited the state earlier this week.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said election officials would take a break overnight but resume counting on Wednesday morning.
A double Democratic win would create a 50-50 split in the Senate and give vice-president-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote after she and Mr Biden take office on January 20.
The party already has a narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
If Republicans hold even one of the two seats, they would effectively wield veto power over Mr Biden's political and judicial appointees as well as many of his legislative initiatives in areas such as economic relief, climate change, healthcare and criminal justice.
A striking shift
No Democrat has won a US Senate race in Georgia in 20 years.
The head-to-head runoff elections, a quirk of state law, became necessary when no candidate in either race exceeded 50 per cent of the vote in November.
Mr Warnock's victory is a symbol of a striking shift in Georgia's politics as the swelling number of diverse, college-educated voters flex their power in the heart of the Deep South.
It follows Mr Biden’s victory in November, when he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.
Mr Warnock, 51, acknowledged his improbable victory in a message to supporters, before media outlets made the call.
He citied his family's experience with poverty. His mother, he said, used to pick "somebody else's cotton" as a teenager.
"Tonight, we proved with hope, hard work and the people by our side, anything is possible."
Ms Loeffler refused to concede in a brief message to supporters.
"We've got some work to do here. This is a game of inches. We're going to win this election," she said.
Ms Loeffler, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, was appointed a year ago to fill the seat of a retiring senator.
If elected, Mr Ossoff, at 33, would become the Senate's youngest member.
Mr Perdue is a former Fortune 500 executive who has served one Senate term.
AP/Reuters
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