Atlanta

‘Thank you, Georgia:’ Sen. Raphael Warnock defeats Herschel Walker to hang onto Senate seat

ATLANTA — ABC News projects that incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock will hold onto his senate seat in Georgia.

The Democrat won by a slim margin against Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a hotly contested runoff that drew record voter turnout in Georgia.

You can find the results here.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Warnock came out just before 11:15 p.m. Tuesday night to address his supporters in downtown Atlanta.

“You have put in the hard work and here we are, standing here together. I want to say thank you,” he said.

The senator also addressed allegations of voter suppression across the state of Georgia, saying they won thanks to voters enduring long lines.

“You did it because you believe as I do, that democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea,” he said, calling on his roots as a Baptist pastor.

RELATED STORIES:

“Tonight, we celebrate because we deserve it, but tomorrow, we go back into the valley to do the work,” the senator said.

More people voted in the runoff election on election day than on election day in the 2020 presidential election, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.

As votes came in across the state Tuesday night, the candidates seesawed back and forth until votes from the metro Atlanta area propelled Warnock into an unsurpassable lead.

Warnock’s win means that not only will Democrats keep the majority in the Senate, but they will be over the threshold that would require a power-sharing agreement between Democrats and Republicans in Senate committees.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Republican Herschel Walker also addressed his supporters live during WSB Tonight, thanking them for staying by him throughout the campaign.