Georgia win further consolidates Democrats' grip in Senate

ATLANTA, Georgia — Democrat Raphael Warnock won reelection to the US Senate in a hard-fought Georgia runoff on Tuesday, strengthening his party's razor-thin majority as he fought off a challenge by Republican former football star Herschel Walker.

Warnock's projected victory was narrow. A Georgia election official told CNN on Tuesday that it is "a very tight race".

The result does not change the balance of power in the Senate, which Democrats had already secured control of on Nov 8.

Walker's defeat is also a setback for Donald Trump as he seeks the Republican nomination to run for the top job again in 2024. The former president endorsed Walker and dozens of other high-profile Republicans in this year's midterm elections, but he ends with a mixed record in his most competitive contests.

Walker's campaign was plagued by repeated gaffes. A vocal anti-abortion advocate, he was also dogged by reports that he paid for multiple former girlfriends to have abortions, allegations that he denied.

Warnock highlighted those concerns in campaign appearances and a barrage of television ads that made the race the most expensive of the 2022 midterm season, with more than $400 million spent.

In last month's election, Warnock led Walker by 37,000 votes out of almost 4 million cast, but fell short of the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

Warnock distanced himself from President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings have lagged as inflation remains high. After the general election, Biden promised to help Warnock in any way he could. Bypassing the president, Warnock decided instead to campaign with former president Barack Obama in the days before the runoff election.

Walker, meanwhile, avoided campaigning with Trump until the campaign's final day, when the pair conducted a conference call on Monday with supporters.

Democrats now are on track for a 51-seat majority in the 100-seat Senate, which will make it slightly easier to advance Biden's nominees for judicial and administrative posts.

Republicans flipped the House of Representatives in November's midterms and have vowed more scrutiny of the White House and the Democratic Party's agenda.

Much legislation will still require Republican support. But, with an extra vote to spare, Democrats may not now always need the cooperation of centrist senators.

The divided Congress will convene for the first time on Jan 3.

Agencies - Xinhua