Democratic Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock after announcing his victory December 6, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. JOHN BAZEMORE v AP
It was the final act of the midterm elections in the United States. After a close vote, outgoing Democrat Raphael Warnock won 50.7% of the vote on Tuesday, December 6, against a Donald Trump-backed candidate, former American football player Herschel Walker. It’s a victory for President Joe Biden, who sees the Democrat camp increasing his majority in the Senate to 51 seats versus 49 for Republicans.
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The two candidates had already clashed in November, but neither had received more than 50% of the vote, so according to electoral law in this southern state of the United States, a second round was organized to decide between them.
“The nation’s eyes are on you,” Joe Biden pleaded before the election, urging voters in this state with a large African American population to turn out in large numbers.
This victory will allow the Democratic camp to wield greater influence in key Senate parliamentary committees. It also severely limits the influence of a moderate Democratic senator, Joe Manchin, gravedigger of several major Biden administration projects.
Obama to the rescue
To realize their ambitions, the Democrats had called their heavyweights to the rescue. Former President Barack Obama, arguably one of the party’s most charismatic figures, campaigned in Atlanta last week.
Director Spike Lee congratulates supporters of Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock during election night December 6, 2022 in Atlanta. JOHN BAZEMORE v AP
A sign of the importance and interest in this duel: almost 400 million dollars (382 million euros) flowed into the vote, the most expensive of the midterm elections.
Historically staunch Republicans, Georgia surprised America by favoring Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election and sending two Democrats to the Senate two months later.
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Republican Herschel Walker, considered one of the greatest players in college football history, has multiple athletic records and entered politics late.
The 60-year-old thought he would succeed in taking the seat from Raphael Warnock, who served as pastor at Martin Luther King’s former Atlanta desk before becoming a Georgia Senator in 2021.
However, the campaign of the Trump-friendly African American candidate was overshadowed by several scandals. Herschel Walker, known for his anti-abortion positions, has been accused, among other things, of pushing several of his former companions to have abortions.
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