The Georgia Secretary of State’s office on Tuesday certified Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock as the winners of the Jan. 5 runoffs for the U.S. Senate.
Ossoff and Warnock are set to be sworn in in Washington on Wednesday, the same day Democratic former vice president Joe Biden takes the oath as the 46th president of the United States.
Ossoff and Warnock defeated Republican incumbent senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively, by very close margins, but not within the margin for a recount.
Ossoff received 2,269,923 votes, or 50.61 percent, to 2,214,979 votes for Perdue, or 49.39 percent, in winning a six-year term.
A former 6th Congressional District candidate, Ossoff will become Georgia’s first Jewish senator and at age 33, he will be the youngest member of the Senate.
In a special election to fill the remaining two years of former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term, Warnock received 2,289,113 votes, or 51.04 percent, to 2,195,841 votes for Loeffler, or 48.96 percent.
The minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Warnock will become Georgia’s first black senator.
In Cobb County, Ossoff and Warnock both won with roughly 56 percent of the vote, although East Cobb voters favored Perdue and Loeffler.
The elections of Ossoff and Warnock will make the U.S. Senate 50-50 in party composition. Ties can be broken by outgoing California Sen. Kamala Harris, the vice president-elect, who will serve as the President of the Senate.
She resigned her Senate seat Monday, and Alex Padilla, a Democrat who is California’s Secretary of State, has been appointed to fill the final two years of her term.
NBC News is reporting that the new Georgia senators will be sworn in by Harris on Wednesday afternoon.
The Senate has already begun confirmation hearings for Biden cabinet appointments, and plans are tentative regarding a possible impeachment trial for outgoing President Donald Trump.
Related coverage
- McBath recaps first term in Congress
- How East Cobb voted in the U.S. Senate runoffs, by precinct
- Ga. Senate races too close to call; Democrats lead in Cobb
- Loeffler objects to Electoral College certification process
- Richardson sworn in as Cobb Commissioner
- Cobb Elections audit finds no fraudulent absentee ballots
- Cobb elections board denies GOP voter challenge for runoffs
- Georgia presidential election recertified after lawsuit dismissed
- Cobb: Government shredding didn’t include elections office
- Official Georgia recount begins in presidential race
- East Cobb voters stick with Trump but Biden wins precincts
- Cobb Elections explains post-shredding activities
- Cobb election results certified; Biden projected Ga. winner
- East Cobb 2020 Election Guide
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