President Joe Biden’s party gained another seat in the US Senate on Tuesday, with Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock’s victory in Georgia, according to American media estimates.
Senator Warnock defeated former President Donald Trump-backed Republican Herschel Walker; This is a result that supports Biden after many analysts predicted a tough defeat for the Democrats in the midterm elections.
The victory gives the Democratic Party a narrow majority (51 to 49) in the Senate.
“Tonight Georgia voters stood up for our democracy, rejected Ultra MAGAism, and most importantly sent a good man back to the Senate. Here’s six more years,” Biden said on Twitter.
Georgia voters went to the polls on Tuesday to choose whether Warnock, a minister, will stay in the Senate or Walker, a former football star, will stay in the Senate.
The runoff in the southern US was held as no candidate received more than 50% of the votes in the November midterm elections.
And with a small difference of votes among the candidates, the election was approaching.
The result does not change the balance in the US Congress, as the Democrats have already taken control of the Senate, while the Republicans have won a majority in the House of Representatives.
But the new seat gives more freedom to Joe Biden’s party, which has been in power for the past two years with a narrow majority (50-50, but with a Democratic advantage thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has served as Senate President). ).
It would also allow greater influence on key congressional committees and significantly limit the role of a moderate Democratic senator, Joe Manchin, who has already blocked several key Biden administration projects.
Republicans saw the race as an opportunity to build power and thwart Democratic government policies.
With 700 days left until the 2024 presidential election, the opposition hoped to put obstacles in the way of Joe Biden after the Democrats got far better-than-expected results in the November midterm elections.
Democrats have used all their assets to increase their chances of victory, including former President Barack Obama (2009-2017), who campaigned in the city of Atlanta last week and is arguably one of the party’s most charismatic figures.
The defeat of Donald Trump’s candidate is another indication that the Republican “wave” promised by the former president has not materialized.
Despite the lower-than-expected results, Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election despite being involved in various scandals and lawsuits.
Interest in the Georgia race has been evidenced by campaign spending approaching $400 million. Out of the seven million registered voters, approximately 1.9 million voted early.
atypical
Although generally a Republican stronghold, Georgia gave Joe Biden a victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election and named two Democrats for the Senate two months later.
The state bordering Florida has once again become an object of desire. This time, the dispute was marked by the atypical profile of the candidates.
Considered one of the best players in college football history, Republican Herschel Walker entered politics at age 60 with several sports records under his belt.
On the Democratic side was the now re-elected Raphael Warnock, who was pastor at the Atlanta Baptist Church where African-American civil rights leader Martin Luther King preached before taking office as senator.
The campaign of the anti-abortion and pro-Trump Republican candidate was marred by several scandals. Despite speaking out against termination of pregnancy, she has been accused of paying for abortions for several of her ex-girlfriends.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.