Democrats won both Georgia Senate seats and with them, the US Senate majority as final votes were counted on Wednesday. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeated Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler two months after Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992. Democrat Raphael Warnock has won a runoff Senate election against incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler, AP projects, bringing Democrats one step closer to flipping the upper chamber of Congress. Warnock is the senior pastor of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's former church in Atlanta. He grew up in public housing in Savannah and will become the southern state's first Black senator. Final tallies are expected by Wednesday evening but if the votes are within a 0.5 percent margin, a candidate could ask for a recount. President-elect Biden and the left-leaning Democratic Party have to win both runoff elections in order to flip the upper chamber of Congress, which is responsible for lawmaking and a host of other duties. Losing one of the two runoff elections would keep the chamber in the hands of the right-leaning Republicans who could block Biden's legislative priorities, as well as his nominees for his incoming Cabinet, who have to be confirmed by the Senate before taking office. The elections put the southern state of Georgia in the spotlight again after it became a key battleground in 2020, voting in favor of a Democrat for the first time since 1992. Incumbent Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler both face Democratic challengers. Former businessman Perdue, 71, has been in the Senate since 2015 and 50-year-old Loeffler since 2019. Both are Trump supporters who have called into question the November's election results. They face Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old former documentary film producer, and 51-year-old Warnock, the senior pastor at civil rights activist Reverend Martin Luther King Jr's former church in Atlanta. The runoffs are being held because none of the candidates received 50% of the vote in November, and pit Ossoff against Perdue and Warnock against Loeffler. Republicans currently hold 50 seats in the Senate and just need to win one more seat to hold their majority whereas Democrats hold 46 seats plus two independents that vote with them. Winning both elections for Democrats would bring the balance to 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris able to break a tie in the Senate to pass laws. Democrats also control the lower chamber of Congress, the House of Representatives. But if Republicans win, Senator Mitch McConnell will remain the majority leader, an outcome Democrats are hoping to avoid. He blocked court nominees and legislation during the administration of Barack Obama. Republicans have had a majority in the Senate since 2014. — Euronews
