Ga. Senate runoff live updates: Warnock celebrates win, Walker admits defeat

The election was the final battle of the 2022 midterms.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Tal Axelrod, Isabella Murray, Meredith Deliso, and Lalee Ibssa
Last Updated: December 27, 2022, 10:47 AM EST

Georgia's Senate runoff between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker came to a close on Tuesday, with Warnock projected by ABC News to defeat Walker, after more than a year of campaigning, multiple controversies and record-breaking turnout.

While the race didn't determine control of the Senate, it did increase Democrats' power in the chamber -- where Vice President Kamala Harris currently has to break ties -- rather than see the Republicans win a 50th seat and create procedural obstacles.

Walker, a businessman and local football legend, and Warnock, a noted reverend in Atlanta, first faced off in November's general election. But neither got 50% of the vote as required by state law, leading to Tuesday's runoff after about a week of early voting.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Dec 06, 2022, 12:16 PM EST

Who is Herschel Walker?

Walker hopes to do what former Sen. Kelly Loeffler could not and defeat Warnock in a runoff election in Georgia.

Walker is a football legend in the state known for scoring touchdowns in the University of Georgia's 1980 championship season.

Now a businessman, he entered the Senate primary in August 2021 at the urging of former President Donald Trump, a longtime friend, whose swift support largely cleared the field.

"I'm here to win the seat for the Georgia people because the Georgia people need a winner," he said in October.

Both the November election and the runoff have seen Walker deny a series of allegations from women, including that he paid for their abortions, which he has said is not true. He is running as a staunchly anti-abortion candidate.

During the campaign, Walker's past also received new scrutiny, such as resurfaced reports about violence in his first marriage -- which he didn't contest -- amid what he said was a struggle with dissociative identity disorder.

Georgia Republican senate candidate Herschel Walker speaks to members of the press after a campaign stop on Dec. 5, 2022 in Dawsonville, Georgia.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Dec 06, 2022, 12:16 PM EST

Election Day is here for midterm's final battle

In Georgia, the stage is set for the final Senate battle of the midterm election as voters head back to the polls on Tuesday for the runoff election between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker.

In November's general election, Warnock finished less than 1% ahead of Walker, falling just short of the 50% threshold required by state law, triggering a four-week runoff election that included at least five days of mandatory early voting last week.

PHOTO: Left: Republican Senate candidate Walker speaks during a campaign stop in Ellijay, Ga., on Dec, 5, 2022. Right: Democratic Senate candidate Sen. Warnock speaks at a Students for Warnock rally at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga. on Dec. 5, 2022.
Left: Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who is facing Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock in a run-off election, speaks during a campaign stop in Ellijay, Ga., on Dec, 5, 2022. Right: Democratic Senate candidate Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks at a Students for Warnock rally at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga. on Dec. 5, 2022.
Photos by Alyssa Pointer/REUTERS and Win McNamee/Getty Images

Georgia is no stranger to runoff elections and this is the third time voters cast ballots in a Senate runoff election in less than two years. But the dynamics have shifted since the 2020 campaign that got Warnock elected. The state legislature passed a sweeping voting law last year that, among other changes, shortened the runoff period from nine weeks to four, causing an all-out sprint to the finish line for both candidates.

On Monday, Walker and Warnock made their closing pitches to voters in multiple campaign stops on the eve of Election Day.

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