Atlanta ¨C Democrats moved a major step closer to gaining control of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday morning as Georgia voters elected the Rev. Raphael Warnock, the pastor at the storied Ebenezer Baptist Church, in a hard-fought runoff contest that became roiled by President Donald Trump¡¯s false claims of voter fraud in the state.
Warnock¡¯s victory over the Republican incumbent, Kelly Loeffler, represented a landmark breakthrough for African Americans in politics as well as for Georgia: He became the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from the South.
For Democrats to take the Senate, which is crucial to enacting President-elect Joe Biden¡¯s first-term agenda, they also need to win Georgia¡¯s other Senate runoff held Tuesday. The votes were still being counted in that race between the Republican candidate, David Perdue, and his Democratic rival, Jon Ossoff.
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