Georgia Senate election results: Jon Ossoff declared runoff winner as ‘militia gathers’ at state Capitol
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Your support makes all the difference.Democrats took control of the Senate after Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeated Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler by razor-thin margins.
The victories were overshadowed by riots in Washington DC as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an effort to stop the count of the Electoral College votes declaring Joe Biden as president elect.
The chaos spread to Georgia as governor Brian Kemp and secretary of state Brad Raffensperger were reportedly evacuated after a 'militia' gathered outside the state Capitol.
Mr Ossoff, 33, becomes the youngest man to enter the Senate since president-elect Joe Biden did so himself in 1973 while Reverend Warnock becomes the state’s first black senator and only the second black senator elected to represent a former Confederate state.
Their wins mean that both parties have 50 senators each, leaving the deciding vote in legislative matters with vice president-elect Kamala Harris and seeing Mitch McConnell deposed as majority leader.
- Washington DC riots - live: ‘Shots fired’ heard on police radio as armed Trump supporters storm Capitol
- Militia members gather outside the Georgia Capitol as pro-Trump rioters storm Washington DC over Democrat win
- Romney blames Trump for inciting ‘insurrection’ as lawmakers plead with violent rioters to disperse from Capitol
- Armed pro-Trump rioters breach US capitol as lawmakers shelter in place
ICYMI: Why Trump’s call with Raffensperger won’t overturn his electoral defeat in Georgia
It was the phone call heard around the country — and yet, President Donald Trump's conversation with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won’t do anything to change the election results in Georgia, or nationwide for that matter.
How many electoral votes does Georgia have?
The president’s undemocratic efforts to overturn the electoral process have failed and Georgia already certified its vote
When will we know Georgia Senate results?
The race will decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.
When is Georgia runoff election over and when are the results?
The race will decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate
Democrats have far outraised Republicans in Georgia
The Democratic Party is showing strength in terms of fundraising and early voter turnout — but it remains to be seen whether those two factors will translate in a historic win.
David Perdue: Who is the Republican and who is he facing in Georgia Senate election?
The less Trumpist of Georgia’s two Republican senators says he’s a man of his word – but he’s passing up opportunities to defend himself
Is David Perdue a Trumpist or a moderate?
The less Trumpist of Georgia’s two Republican senators says he’s a man of his word – but he’s passing up opportunities to defend himself
Loeffler and Perdue accused of photoshopping opponents in racist attack ads
‘There is no level she could stoop to that would surprise us,’ says Warnock’s campaign after ad manipulation by Loeffler
Loeffler and Perdue accused of photoshopping opponents in racist attack ads
‘There is no level she could stoop to that would surprise us,’ says Warnock’s campaign after ad manipulation by Loeffler
Mystery shrouds abrupt departure of Trump-appointed US attorney in Georgia
On Monday, Byung J “BJay” Pak – US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia – announced his sudden departure from the office. On Tuesday, Donald Trump – who appointed him in 2017 – installed his interim replacement: Bobby Christine, the current US Attorney in the Southern District. He’ll hold both roles, for now.
The timing has felt… weird, to say the least. Pak’s departure came the day after The Washington Post released recordings from an hour-long call between the president and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, in which the president pressured him to “find” enough votes to overturn his loss.
The president also called a US attorney in the state, possibly Pak, a “never-Trumper” after he fumed about officials refusing to indulge his conspiracy-fuelled, likely criminal allegations.
In a brief statement confirming his departure, he said only that “it has been the greatest honor of my professional career” and that he has “done my best to be thoughtful and consistent, and to provide justice for my fellow citizens in a fair, effective and efficient manner" while thanking the president and US Attorney General William Barr.
Trump’s final election message? ‘Radical Left Democrats’ want to steal the election
The president has been watching TV, it seems:
That was also the message at his – potentially last-ever, as president – rally in Dalton, Georgia on Monday night, amplifying unfounded and verifiably untrue claims about election fraud and claiming, as he has been for years, that Democrats want to destroy the US.
Here’s Richard Hall’s look back at Trump’s last stand, from on the ground:
Trump brings election conspiracies to Georgia as he rallies on the eve of crucial Senate runoffs
Donald Trump came to Georgia to campaign for the Senate, instead he campaigned for a re-run of the November election, writes Richard Hall
Three things to watch as results come in from Georgia runoff elections
A geography lesson, the coattail riders, and Trump’s attempts to undermine Democracy – The Independent’s Washington correspondent John T Bennett outlines three things to watch as results come in from Georgia.
Three things to watch as results come in from Georgia runoff elections
President bragged at rally about his ‘coattails’ lifting Republican candidates. That will be tested on Tuesday night
Low wait times, few issues: Election running smoothly across the state, officials say
Georgia Voting Systems Manager Gabriel Sterling – who has been under a national spotlight after repeatedly debunking Trump’s false election fraud and manipulation claims – says election day has been “sort of calm,” according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
We haven’t seen anything too over-the-top crazy, which is good. We want steady. We want to see that the people who want to cast their vote, that their votes are going to count.”
Polls are set to close at 7pm, but several will stay open later to make up for some briefly lost time after election workers sorted out some tech issues, which impacted .02 per cent of voting touch screens in the state.
‘So much is at stake’: Biden appeals to Georgia voters on election day
In an interview with WVEE-FM from Columbus, Georgia on Tuesday, president-elect Joe Biden declared “so much is at stake” in the senate runoffs, including the immediate relief from additional Covid-19 payments and vaccine rollouts.
A Democratically controlled Congress in tandem with his administration could potentially see an immediate passage of $2,000 direct payments.
He also suggested there could be "thousands of federally run and federally supported community vaccination centers of various sizes across the country” following Trump’s refusal to accept responsibility for the lagging vaccine distribution efforts, falling far-behind his 2020 promises.
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