Raphael Warnock has a nine-point lead over Herschel Walker in the Georgia Senate race, while Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams are in a close contest for governor: poll
The SurveyUSA poll showed Sen. Warnock with 48% support among likely voters in the Peach State, while Walker received 39% support.
news.yahoo.comRepublican voters are not that excited about Republican candidates
The good news for Republicans in a pair of Fox News polls from Pennsylvania and Georgia is that the party stands a good chance of breaking even in the states’ Senate contests. The bad news is that, in what was long-expected to be a strong Republican year, they may not win the seats.
washingtonpost.comIn Georgia, 2 Black candidates to compete for Senate seat
Wayne Black was one of the few African Americans in the crowd as about 100 people gathered recently at the Republican Party headquarters near Columbus, Georgia, to hear from U.S. Senate candidate and football legend Herschel Walker. A member of the Muscogee County Republican Executive Committee, Black said he found a certain promise in Walker's candidacy, a GOP voice who could appeal to African Americans and others in Georgia who have traditionally voted Democratic.
news.yahoo.comGeorgia GOP Senate debate focuses on Herschel Walker absence
Tuesday's debate among Georgia Republican Senate candidates was predictably defined by the man who wasn't there — Herschel Walker. If the race wasn't dominated by Walker's football celebrity and Donald Trump endorsement, Gary Black, Latham Saddler, Kelvin King, Josh Clark and Jon McColumn might all be more viable candidates for the Republican nomination.
news.yahoo.comWalker raises $5.5M in Georgia Senate race, trailing Warnock
Georgia Republican Herschel Walker said Friday that his U.S. Senate campaign had raised $5.5 million in the first three months of 2022, a big haul that is still dwarfed by the $13.6 million that Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock raised in the same period. A former football star, Walker is the GOP front-runner, but faces five other Republicans in the May 24 primary. Georgia will be a key battleground in the 2022 midterm elections to determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
news.yahoo.comGeorgia's Abrams, Kemp among candidates to qualify for 2022
While some Georgia candidates have been campaigning and raising money for nearly a year, the 2022 election field will solidify this week as major party candidates officially qualify. Democrats and Republicans will line up at the state capitol in Atlanta to file papers to run for office from Monday through noon Friday, launching an 11-week sprint to the May 24 party primaries. On the Democratic side, Stacey Abrams has no announced opposition for governor, while incumbent Republican Brian Kemp is trying to fend off multiple challengers including former U.S. Sen. David Perdue.
news.yahoo.comHow Baptists hold differing views on the resurrection of Christ and why this matters
Resurrection of Christ depicted in 14th-century fresco in Chora Church, Istanbul, Turkey. LP7/Collections E+ via Getty ImagesEarly on April 4 morning, the following message appeared on the Twitter account of the Rev. Raphael Warnock, the newly elected U.S. senator from Georgia: “The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves.” He later deleted the tweet, but n
news.yahoo.com"Not true justice": Politicians, activists react to guilty verdict in Ahmaud Arbery murder
Politicians and prominent activists on Wednesday praised the guilty verdict in the trial for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, but said more needed to be done to fix the nation's judicial system.Driving the news: All three suspects, who are white, were found guilty in the murder of Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was chased and shot while running in February 2020.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.What they're saying: “I am grateful the jury has found the t
news.yahoo.comMove over FHA loans. Proposed 20-year mortgage targets first-time homebuyers with low incomes.
A group of Democratic senators have proposed a new 20-year mortgage aimed at low-income, first-time home buyers — with the goal of building equity quickly. D-Va., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, along with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced the Low-Income First-Time Homebuyers Act that would create a new 20-year loan for first-time homebuyers whose median incomes were 120% or less than their area’s median income. “Home equity accumulation is one of the best ways to build generational wealth for hardworking families in Georgia and across the nation, and to close the racial wealth gap. Read the full story on cleveland.com’s sister site, Cleveland Business Journal.
mlive.comTrump booster Herschel Walker skipped voting in 2016 when future president was on the ballot, records show
Herschel Walker did not cast a presidential vote in 2016 despite talking up the eventual winner, Donald Trump. And with the exception of 2020, Walker has not pulled the lever in any election since at least 2003, according to records reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
news.yahoo.comWarnock balances partisanship with broad pitch ahead of 2022
Back home, Georgia’s first Black senator is more subtle, pitching a “comprehensive view of infrastructure” and avoiding talk of his reelection fight already looming just months after he won a January special election runoff with Senate control at stake. “I’m busy being Georgia’s United States senator,” Warnock said, smiling, as he brushed aside a question recently about famed football hero Herschel Walker potentially running for his seat as a Republican. “We as Georgians should be proud of all that happens in the state,” Warnock said at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, cheerleading ongoing projects and arguing for more federal spending.
news.yahoo.comShooting victim's husband says police detained him for hours
(AP Photo/Ben Gray)ATLANTA – A man who survived the shooting that killed his wife at an Atlanta-area massage business last week said police detained him in handcuffs for four hours after the attack. Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said in an emailed statement Monday afternoon that his office would not have any further comment on the case and is focusing on the investigation and prosecution. In all, seven of the slain victims were women, six of them of Asian descent. Gonzalez said they put him in handcuffs and detained him for about four hours, according to the website. “Only when they finally confirmed I was her husband, did they tell me that she was dead," he said.
Rallies in Atlanta, nation against hate after spa shootings
A 21-year-old white man is accused of killing eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, at three Atlanta-area massage businesses Tuesday. Hundreds of people of all ages and varied racial and ethnic backgrounds gathered in Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, and in similar rallies across the country, waving signs and chanting slogans. Otis Wilson, a 38-year-old photographer who's Black, said people need to pay attention to the discrimination those of Asian descent face. They moved to Atlanta four years ago and got involved in community organizing, last summer pulling together an event to support Black women victimized by police violence. AdHunt, who's Black, joined Saturday's rally to “show Black and Asian solidarity,” adding “I think it’s amazing.
Warnock: GOP voting restrictions resurrect ‘Jim Crow era’
“We are witnessing right now a massive and unabashed assault on voting rights and voter access unlike anything we have seen since the Jim Crow era,” Warnock said Wednesday. Democrats cast their legislation as a way to render most of the state GOP moves moot. AdBoth the Voting Rights Act restoration and the wider bill face an uphill path in the 50-50 Senate as long the current filibuster rule requires major legislation to get 60 votes to pass. His bid will test whether Democrats have staying power in Georgia after decades of Republican dominance in federal elections. AdIn that same era, Warnock said, his mother worked in tobacco and cotton fields — generations after the Civil War and the 13th Amendment had ended slavery.
A Biden edge in COVID-19 bill: Dems reluctant to wound him
Internal Democratic disputes remain over raising the minimum wage, how much aid to funnel to struggling state and local governments and whether to extend emergency unemployment benefits another month. The issue that's provoked the deepest divisions is a progressive-led drive to boost the federal minimum wage to $15 hourly over five years. More ominously, the Senate parliamentarian is expected to rule soon on whether the minimum wage provision must be tossed from the bill. Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., his chamber's chief minimum wage sponsor, said Democrats must “act boldly” and approve a package with the minimum wage increase. AdRepublicans said the measure's higher minimum wage and increased unemployment benefits would cost jobs or discourage people from seeking work, and said much of the spending was wasteful.
Senate filibuster fight cools for now, but battles ahead
The pivotal Georgia runoff election this month was decisive in handing Democrats the majority in the Senate. Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Easing off a stalemate, the Senate moved forward Tuesday with a power-sharing agreement in the evenly-split chamber after Republican leader Mitch McConnell backed off his demand that Senate Democrats preserve the procedural tool known as the filibuster. The stand-off between McConnell and new Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had all but ground the Senate to a halt in the early days of the Democratic majority and threatened President Joe Biden's agenda. “I'm glad we're finally able to get the Senate up and running,” Schumer said Tuesday as he opened the chamber. Schumer's office said the Republican leader had no choice but to set aside his demands.
New Georgia senators carry John Lewis' influence with them
Sen. Raphael Warnock was Lewis’ pastor and stood at his bedside before Lewis died. It seeks to restore portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. Democrats and voting rights groups argue that the ruling has led to a cascade of changes in many states that have disenfranchised voters, including polling place closures. They are the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. “My friend John Lewis planted the foundation of this Georgia over his career,” Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey said in a tweet.
Senate confirms Biden 1st Cabinet pick as Democrats control
In a first vote, the Senate confirmed Biden's nominee for director of national intelligence, Avril Haines. The new Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged colleagues to turn the spirit of the new president’s call for unity into action. The three Democrats complete a Senate narrowly split 50-50 between the parties, but giving Democrats the majority with Harris able to cast the tie-breaking vote. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to soon transmit to the Senate the House-passed article of impeachment against Trump, charged with incitement of insurrection, a step that will launch the Senate impeachment trial. Progressive and liberal Democrats are eager to do away with the filibuster to more quickly advance Biden’s priorities, but not all rank-and-file Senate Democrats are on board.
Senate confirms Biden 1st Cabinet pick as Democrats control
In a first vote, the Senate confirmed Biden's nominee for director of national intelligence, Avril Haines late Wednesday, overcoming Republican opposition to approve his first Cabinet member. They are a diverse group bringing several firsts to the Senate, along with Schumer's rise as the first Jewish majority leader of the Senate. They join a Senate narrowly split 50-50 between the parties, but giving Democrats the majority with Harris able to cast the tie-breaking vote. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is expected to soon transmit to the Senate the House-passed article of impeachment against Trump, charged with incitement of insurrection, a step that will launch the Senate impeachment trial. Progressive and liberal Democrats are eager to do away with the filibuster to more quickly advance Biden’s priorities, but not all rank-and-file Senate Democrats are on board.
Poster artist helped connect candidates, voters in Georgia
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)ATLANTA – For some, helping to get out the vote during Georgia's U.S. Senate runoffs meant writing checks for campaigns. Brandon Litman took a different approach by making thousands of pieces of art to connect the Democratic candidates with voters. After arriving in Atlanta last month, Litman started showing up at Ossoff and Warnock campaign rallies, painting custom yard signs for supporters. Litman soon connected with the Ossoff campaign, which let him tag along to events in other Georgia cities. But he said none of them were as popular as his work centered on the Georgia Senate races.
Georgia certifies Democrats Warnock and Ossoff's Senate wins
The certification by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger officially seals Warnock and Ossoff's victories over their Republican opponents in the Jan. 5 runoffs. Once Warnock and Ossoff are sworn in, there will be a 50-50 partisan divide in the Senate, giving Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote. Biden in November became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992, while Warnock and Ossoff are the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. Loeffler gave a farewell speech from the Senate floor Tuesday, where she thanked her supporters and wished Warnock well. Perdue's term ended Jan. 3, while Loeffler remains in the Senate until Warnock is sworn in because she was appointed to fill Isakson's unexpired term.
The Latest: Trump declassifies Crossfire Hurricane material
___HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN’S INAUGURATION:President-elect Joe Biden appeared at a memorial for COVID-19 victims at the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday evening. ___4:45 p.m.President Donald Trump does not mention his successor, Democrat Joe Biden, by name in his farewell address. A person familiar with Pence’s schedule cited “logistical challenges” in getting from the air base to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremonies on Wednesday. The information was passed from the National Guard Bureau to the D.C. National Guard. ___10:45 a.m.Three new Democratic senators are set to be sworn into office after President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday.
Inaugural event to celebrate resiliency of Black Americans
Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris campaigns for Democratic U.S. Senate challengers the Rev. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is slated to speak at Tuesday's event, “We Are One,” which will also honor the historic nature of her being the first Black and South Asian woman to become U.S. vice president. Black voters nationwide helped deliver Biden’s presidency, overwhelmingly supporting him from the start of his White House bid. The event will pay homage to the legacy of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities, as well as Black sororities and fraternities. It'll be hosted by Terrence J and feature Leslie Jones, DJ D-Nice, and Black cultural icons such as Frankie Beverly, The O’Jays, and Rapsody.
King Day service calls for nonviolence amid turbulent times
Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, in Atlanta. “This King holiday has not only come at a time of great peril and physical violence, it has also come during a time of violence in our speech — what we say and how we say it,” said the Rev. Bernice King, the slain civil rights leader's daughter. His family was among a sparse group wearing masks and sitting far apart amid mostly empty pews as others delivered remarks remotely. That means that our destiny is tied together.”Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.
Inaugural event to celebrate resiliency of Black Americans
Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris campaigns for Democratic U.S. Senate challengers the Rev. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is slated to speak at the event, “We Are One,” which will also honor the historic nature of her being the first Black and South Asian woman to become U.S. vice president. Black voters nationwide helped deliver Biden’s presidency, overwhelmingly supporting him from the start of his White House bid. The event will pay homage to the legacy of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities, as well as Black sororities and fraternities. It'll be hosted by Terrence J and feature Leslie Jones, DJ D-Nice, and Black cultural icons such as Frankie Beverly, The O’Jays, and Rapsody.
Warnock condemns Capitol rioters in post-election sermon
Raphael Warnock delivers a sermon during a church service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Warnock is senior pastor at Ebenezer, the church where the late Dr. Martin Luther King once also pastored. (AP Photo/John Amis)In his first sermon since being declared a winner in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff election, the Rev. Raphael Warnock on Sunday addressed last week’s deadly Capitol Hill riot that all but overshadowed his historic victory. Sunday’s sermon showed Warnock falling back on a prophetic tradition of the Black American church in which preachers weave Scripture with criticisms of racism, militarism and poverty.
Warnock, Biden wins give twin thrills to religious liberals
Sen.-elect Warnock shares more than a party with Biden: Both Democrats made faith a central part of their political identity on the campaign trail and their victories are emboldening religious liberals. and Sen.-elect Raphael Warnock shares more than a party with President-elect Joe Biden: Both Democrats made faith a central part of their political identity on the campaign trail — and their victories are emboldening religious liberals. Warnock and Biden are hardly the only two national-profile Democrats driving the party’s evolution toward engagement on spiritual matters. Despite coming from different partisan backgrounds, both Head and Wear advised Democrats to avoid embracing religious rhetoric for purely political purposes. She described the disparate religious backgrounds of Warnock, Ossoff, Biden and Buttigieg as an unsung asset for the party.
GOP's Loeffler concedes to Warnock in Georgia runoff
ATLANTA – Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler on Thursday conceded to Democrat Raphael Warnock in one of two Georgia Senate runoffs that will give control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats. With his victory in Tuesday’s election, Warnock becomes the first African American from Georgia elected to the Senate. “Unfortunately we came up slightly short in the runoff election,” Loeffler says in the video. Democrat Jon Ossoff beat Republican David Perdue in Georgia’s other Senate runoff. Tuesday's runoff election broke turnout records for a Georgia runoff, with more than 4.4 million ballots cast.
Black leaders cheer Georgia success, push for more progress
But Black leaders and organizers say the rioters’ insurrection won’t deter the momentum achieved after the hard-fought victories of Georgia Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Black voters across gender, age and education levels supported the Democratic candidates overwhelmingly, with at least 9 in 10 voting for Ossoff and Warnock. “Georgia and other Southern states have been battleground states,” said Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project. A majority of Black voters in Georgia’s runoffs, 56%, say the coronavirus pandemic is the top issue facing the country today, according to AP VoteCast. Black voters and activists say attention will now turn toward pushing for President-elect Biden and Congress to actualize real, systemic change.
After years of work, Abrams takes victory lap in Georgia
People in the crowd hold up an image of Stacey Abrams as President-elect Joe Biden speaks in Atlanta, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, to campaign for Georgia Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, Rev. “I think what’s next for Stacey is whatever Stacey wants to be next," said Leah Daughtry, a former chief of staff at the Democratic National Committee. “Stacey Abrams (that’s the tweet),” wrote Karine Jean-Pierre, incoming deputy White House press secretary. At the same time, Abrams never stopped pushing Democrats to support her Georgia efforts and copy them nationally. Groh-Wargo emphasized this week that one difference between 2018 and 2020 was the success at turning out Black voters in rural areas.
Dems' Georgia alliance is diverse and broad. Is it durable?
Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of two runoffs in Georgia with a broad coalition of voters including Black Americans, moderates and suburban women. Democrats narrowly edged out Republicans among that group, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 3,700 Georgia voters. Black voters — 32% of the electorate in the runoff, according to the survey — supported Ossoff and Warnock almost universally. VoteCast showed Black voters were 29% of the November electorate. About 6 in 10 Georgia voters say they were contacted on behalf of Democratic candidates, compared with about half for Republican candidates, according to VoteCast.
Georgia Senate runoff: Track live election results
Results from the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections are expected after 7 p.m. (EST) Tuesday. Democrats have to win both of the state’s Senate elections to gain the Senate majority. In such a scenario, the Senate would be equally divided 50-50 with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaker for Democrats. Read more: Decision day in Georgia with Senate majority at stakeYou can track live results right here:U.S. Senate: Kelly Loeffler vs. Raphael Warnock Pastor challenging senator appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill remaining two years of term of Sen. Johnny Isakson, who resigned in late 2019.
AP projects: Jon Ossoff defeats David Perdue in Georgia Senate runoff
All rights reserved)Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Georgia Jon Ossoff speaks after voting early in Atlanta on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)The Associated Press is projecting that Democrat Jon Ossoff has won one of Georgia’s two runoff Senate races. As of 4:16 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, AP is calling Georgia’s Senate race in favor of Ossoff. Ossof was pitted against Republican David Perdue, a 71-year-old former business executive whose congressional term expired Sunday. Final Georgia Senate race results:U.S. Senate: Jon Ossoff vs. David Perdue Documentary filmmaker challenging incumbent senator for a six-year term.
Biden promises bipartisan leadership as Democrats clinch Senate majority
Of the two Georgia Senate runoff races that will determine which political party has more legislative power in the years to come, Democrats have been victorious in both -- giving the party the Senate majority. Though Georgia’s Senate results favor Democrats, Biden says that he will work with representatives on both sides of the aisle in an effort to unite the nation and take action to move the country forward as president. I have long said that the bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill passed in December was just a down payment. We need urgent action on what comes next, because the COVID-19 crisis hits red states and blue states alike. My nominees for critical national security positions at State, Defense, Treasury, and Homeland Security have bipartisan support and have been confirmed by the Senate before.
'Only in America': Warnock's rise from poverty to US senator
Raphael Warnock's roots showed little promise of a future that led to the U.S. Senate. He grew up in Savannah in the Kayton Homes public housing project, the second youngest of 12 children. “Only in America is my story even possible,” Warnock told the cheering drive-in crowd Sunday. Warnock was arrested at the Georgia state Capitol in 2014 while protesting the refusal of state Republicans to expand Medicaid. Warnock recalled the Washington arrest during his speech Sunday in Savannah, as he looked ahead to his next trip to Capitol Hill.
Morning Briefing Jan. 6, 2021: Tracking Georgia Senate runoff results, Congress meets today to confirm Electoral College vote for Biden, 2 Michigan congressmen plan to object
Democratic U.S. Senate challenger Jon Ossoff waves after speaking to the media at Dunbar Neighborhood Center during Georgia's Senate runoff elections, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Branden Camp)What to know today 🌅Georgia Senate runoff resultsResults from the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections started coming in after 7 p.m. (EST) Tuesday. He became the first Black senator in his state’s history, putting the Senate majority within the party’s reach. Democrats have to win both of the state’s Senate elections to gain the Senate majority. Congress meets today to confirm Electoral College vote for BidenPresident Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election is going before Congress as lawmakers convene for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden.