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

The election was the final battle of the 2022 midterms.

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 07, 2022, 1:15 AM EST

Walker's son Christian excoriates his father amid results

Walker’s son was quick to respond to his father’s projected loss in the election, implying that the number of controversies that arose throughout his campaign -- many of which Walker has denied or dismissed as political smears -- contributed to his defeat.

Christian Walker, a conservative social media personality, recently became openly critical of his dad. He denounced Herschel Walker in a series of social media posts and videos in early October after the candidate denied a Daily Beast report that he paid for an ex-girlfriend's abortion in 2009. Herschel Walker has campaigned for the Senate as an anti-abortion politician.

In a string of tweets Tuesday night, the younger Walker touched on many of scandals swirling around the candidate, including those related to abortion, allegations of past domestic violence and absentee parenting.

Christian Walker, son of U.S. Republican Senate candidate for Georgia, Herschel Walker speaks in a post from his Twitter feed, Oct. 4, 2022.
ChristianWalk1r/Twitter

“Chase more fame, lie, lie, lie, say stupid crap, and make a fool of your family,” he wrote in one tweet.

“The Truth: Trump called my dad for months DEMANDING that he run. Everyone with a brain begged him: “PLEASE DON’T DO THIS. This is too dirty, you have an insane past… PLEASE DONT DO THIS,” Christian Walker continued..

Later, during an audio-only event on Twitter when he took questions about his thoughts of his father and the election, Christian Walker told ABC News it had been a while since they spoke but he didn't rule out a reconciliation at some point.

"It's hard because I'm angry right now. But you know, I need some time to breathe, I know, I'll say that," he said. "And honestly, the thing that I want most out of him is, at the end of the day, gosh, time flies, like I'm an adult. So I'm grown. I'm making money ... Go be the best dad."

Herschel Walker tweeted in October, in response to some of Christian Walker's criticisms. "I LOVE my son no matter what."

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

Dec 06, 2022, 11:02 PM EST

Schumer declares Warnock's projected victory a win for 'democracy'

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer declared Warnock's projected defeat of Walker a win for "democracy."

The victory, which secures a 51-49 majority for Senate Democrats, proves that "Democrats are in sync with the American people and MAGA Republicans are not," Schumer said in a statement.

"Reverend Warnock's well-earned win is not just a victory for Georgia, but also for democracy -- as the last brick in our firewall against extremist MAGA Republican policies that threaten the very essence of our democracy," the statement continued.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Dec 06, 2022, 10:57 PM EST

Scenes from Election Day in Georgia

Georgia voters turned out to the polls in record numbers on Tuesday to cast their ballots in the Senate runoff election between Warnock and Walker.

Supporters of Reverend Raphael Warnock attend a election night party after polls closed for the U.S. midterm runoff elections between Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Atlanta, on Dec. 6, 2022.
Carlos Barria/Reuters

ABC News has projected that Warnock will win the runoff, making him Georgia’s first Black full-term senator. He has served in the seat since 2021, when he won a runoff against GOP incumbent Kelly Loeffler.

Photos showed supporters of both campaigns gathering to watch results come in.

Supporters of U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock attend an election night party after polls closed for the U.S. midterm runoff election, Dec. 6, 2022, in Atlanta, Ga.
Carlos Barria/Reuters

Supporters cheer during an election night watch party for Republican candidate Herschel Walker, on Dec. 6, 2022, in Atlanta.
Brynn Anderson/AP

Filmmaker Spike Lee rallied the crowd at an election night watch party for Warnock in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Director Spike Lee delivers remarks at an election night watch party for Sen. Raphael Warnock, Dec. 6, 2022, in Atlanta.
Win Mcnamee/Getty Images

Voters shattered turnout records this runoff election. Despite rainy weather in parts of the state, some 1.4 million people cast a ballot on Tuesday, according to state officials.

Local residents wait in line to cast their ballot during the runoff U.S. Senate election between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Atlanta, on Dec. 6, 2022.
Carlos Barria/Reuters

Election workers unload ballots as they arrive from precincts at the Cobb County Elections and Registration Center, Dec. 6, 2022, in Marietta, Ga.
Cheney Orr/Reuters

Dec 06, 2022, 10:45 PM EST

How Warnock will make history again

Warnock is projected to make history yet again as the senator of Georgia.

In 2021, he became the first Black senator from Georgia after winning a runoff for a partial term.

With ABC News projecting him to win the Tuesday runoff against Walker, Warnock will become the first Black senator elected to a full six-year term in the state.

Sen. Raphael Warnock answers questions from the media after speaking during a pre-canvassing event on Dec. 6, 2022, in Norcross, Ga.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Either winner of the close race would have achieved that barrier-breaking feat.

Warnock became only the second Black senator elected from the South since the Reconstruction era, when he won last year's runoff against incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler.

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