Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, has been declared the winner over Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in one of the two U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia that were held on Tuesday to determine which party would control the upper congressional chamber.
With 98 percent of votes reporting, Warnock won with 50.6 percent, while Loeffler received 49.4 percent.
With his victory, Warnock, 51, becomes the first African-American elected to the Senate from Georgia.
Loeffler had the support of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and Warnock had the support of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) and Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI).
In the other runoff, with 98 percent reporting, Democrat Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish, is leading ahead of the Republican incumbent, Sen. David Perdue, with 50.2 percent of the vote to the latter’s 49.8 percent. The race has yet to be called by major media outlets and may go to a recount.
If Democrats win both seats, they will control the Senate with a 50-50 split. Any future tie-breaking votes would be cast by incoming U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
In addition to the Senate and White House, Democrats will also control the U.S. House of Representatives, though with a narrow majority.
The Tuesday runoffs happened in accordance with Georgia state law, as none of the candidates received more than 50 percent of the votes in the Nov. 3 elections.
