Skip to content

Subscriber Only

Democrats Poised to Retake Senate, Buoyed by Black Voter Turnout

Warnock beats Loeffler to become Georgia’s first Black senator
Ossoff declares victory in race still too close to call

Voters stand in line to cast ballots at a polling location in Atlanta, on Jan 5. — Voters stand in line to cast ballots at a polling location in Atlanta, on Jan 5.Photographer: Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg

By

Mark Niquette and

January 6, 2021, 1:35 PM UTCUpdated onJanuary 6, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

Democrats were poised to take control of the U.S. Senate after high turnout among Black voters boosted their candidates in two runoff elections in Georgia.

Challenger Raphael Warnock beat incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler Wednesday to take one of the two seats. The race between Jon Ossoff and one-term Senator David Perdue was still too close to call, but Ossoff was leading by more than 17,000 votes and claimed victory.