ATLANTA — The Southern battleground state of Georgia is headed, once again, for a bitterly contested Senate runoff election as results show Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock narrowly leading his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, according to state election officials. Neither candidate is on track to secure 50% of the overall vote in the election that included Libertarian Chase Oliver.
Warnock and Walker are now set to face off in a Dec. 6 runoff, less than two years after Warnock became the first Black senator from Georgia in an intense and nationally followed runoff that was one of two races that determined control of the Senate. Back then, Warnock was part of a historic blue wave that saw voters in this traditionally conservative stronghold elect President Joe Biden and two Democratic senators.
Now, as then, political control of the Senate hangs in the balance. Republicans on Wednesday held a 49-48 lead in the battle to control the Senate, with races in Arizona and Nevada also yet to be decided.
