All eyes are on Georgia where a pair of Senate runoff races will determine whether Democrats or Republicans will control the US Senate. Meanwhile, many Twitter users began early celebrations saying "Bye Mitch" and "Move Mitch".
Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are challenging Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Even though no official winner has been announced in either of Georgia's Senate runoff elections, it did not stop Democrat Warnock from declaring victory in his race against Republican Loeffler. "Georgia, I am honored in the faith that you have shown to me. I promise you this tonight, I am going to the Senate to work for all of Georgia," Warnock said in a live stream just before 1 AM on Wednesday.
Warnock leads Loeffler by about 36,000 votes. The Georgia officials said that around 200,000 remain to be counted throughout the state. According to current reports, Ossoff has taken the lead after election officials released a trove of votes from Democratic stronghold counties. He is now leading the race with 2,201,741 votes.
While Warnock, a pastor at a historic Black church in Atlanta, is now set to become Georgia's first Black Senator, the other Senate runoff between Perdue and Ossoff is still too early to call. However, due to the rise in mail-in and early voting compared to previous elections, the result of the Perdue and Ossoff may not be known until Wednesday, January 6.
Gabriel Sterling, Georgia voting systems manager said on Tuesday, January 5, that President Donald Trump will be responsible if both the Republicans Loeffler and Perdue lose their Senate runoff races. "It will fall squarely on the shoulders of President Trump and his actions since November 3," he said.
Sterling said that when people were told that their votes didn't count and had been stolen, people would start believing that. "Then you go to the two senators and ask the secretary of state to resign and trigger a civil war in the Republican Party when we need to unite, all of that stems with his decision-making since the November 3 election," he added.
Georgia's Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) also expressed his worries about the impact of Trump's claims on GOP turnout. He told ABC News that he was "absolutely" concerned that the president's comments could depress the party's turnout in the runoff. "Unfortunately, too many folks in our party over the last two months have been talking about misinformation, election fraud, and creating a distraction," he said.
Road to Senate
To take the control of the Senate, Democrats must win both contests in Georgia. A double win would create a 50-50 split in the Senate. The victory in the state will also give Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote after she takes office alongside Joe Biden on January 20. The party already has a narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, Twitter users share sarcastic goodbye tweets about Republican Mitch McConnell, who is currently serving as Senate majority leader.
