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Georgia Senate elections live updates: Jon Ossoff projected to win Ga. Senate seat
The projected win cements Democrats' control of the Senate.
ABC News projected early Wednesday that Rev. Raphael Warnock will win the race against Kelly Loeffler and on Wednesday afternoon that Jon Ossoff is projected to defeat David Perdue. Together, the two projected wins hand Democrats control of the Senate.
For live updates on the vote totals, click here.
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Georgia politician says Trump's claims of fraud 'absolutely' depressed GOP turnout
Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican, told ABC News Live he's worried that President Donald Trump's baseless allegations of election fraud in the state "absolutely" might have depressed GOP turnout in the runoff races.
"Unfortunately, too many folks in our party over the last two months have been talking about misinformation, election fraud and creating a distraction," Duncan said.
"We've been outworked, out-focused, but my hope is that Kelly Loeffler's and David Purdue's hard work over the last two months is going to get them across the finish line and help us kind of regroup as a party here in this state, and also as a country, and be able to roll back out and get the White House in 2024," he added.
Biden's agenda could hang in balance of runoff races
ABC News Chief Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce stressed the significance of Tuesday's runoffs, not only because they will determine control of the Senate but because they leave President-elect Joe Biden's agenda hanging in the balance.
"It's not just how much he can get done but also the expediency with which he might be able to get things done," Bruce said, outlining big promises in Biden's agenda, from health care to climate change.
Biden has noted in recent days, while stumping for Democratic candidates, that if Democrats are able to win both seats, the $2,000 stimulus checks Democrats have been pushing for could happen immediately. Also, the approval of additional aid to state and local governments and resources to distribute the coronavirus vaccine in a more timely fashion could come quickly.
"Not to say that Joe Biden's agenda would hit a complete brick wall if Republicans continue to maintain control in the Senate because, of course, Joe Biden prides himself on having a great working and personal relationship with Republican leader Mitch McConnell, but it certainly would make Joe Biden's agenda and his political ambitions here much, much, much easier," Bruce said.
Bruce also noted how the expected efforts by Republicans to object to the certification of the Electoral College results on Wednesday could give the public a sense of the "uphill battle" Biden may face if the GOP does maintain control of the Senate.
Black voter turnout 'very encouraging sign' for Democrats in Georgia
The turnout of Black voters in Georgia’s runoff Senate races rose a percentage point from what it was in November, according to ABC News’ preliminary exit poll -- potentially a positive signal for Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
The African American turnout is "a very encouraging sign for Democrats. It shows that they’re getting their base out,” ABC News Political Director Rick Klein said on ABC News Live.
Preliminary exit poll reporting shows that Black voters account for 29% of the electorate in Tuesday's race, up from 28% in November.
The exit poll data indicates that 93% of Black voters turned out for both Ossoff and Warnock.
"[African Americans are] as reliable of a Democratic bloc as there is and so far the Democrats look like they did their job in getting them to the polls," Klein said.
Early voting turnout breaks records, Tuesday turnout too early to call
More than 3 million voters in the Georgia runoff elections cast their ballots early -- 1,018,381 by mail and 2,074,994 early in-person -- according to Georgia Votes, already a record-setting figure for runoff elections.
The total early vote so far also includes 123,079 who did not participate in November's general election -- which is 35,000 more votes than the margin that separated Sen. David Perdue and Jon Ossoff the first time around, when the incumbent Republican edged out his challenger by just over 88,000 votes. Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Raphael Warnock were competing in a jungle primary in which the large field diluted their vote shares.
The secretary of state's office won't have Tuesday's in-person turnout numbers until at least 1 p.m. on Wednesday when counties are required to report how many ballots they received Tuesday in order to calculate the number of outstanding ballots. It may take days for the final results to become available depending on how close the races are.
Republicans are relying on high Election Day turnout, believing close to a million votes on Tuesday is likely their path to victory. At a rally in Dalton on Monday night, President Donald Trump signaled how many votes Republicans are eyeing: "I guess we have to get over a million votes tomorrow, right, Kelly? Over a million. All right. That's a lot of votes, Kelly, but we'll do it."
-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan, Kendall Karson and Meg Cunningham
Warnock declares victory against Loeffler, pushes message of unity
Up by roughly 35,000 votes statewide, Warnock declared victory in Georgia with a virtual speech to supporters in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
"The other day, because this is America, the 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else's cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator,” Warnock said.
ABC News has not made a projection on the race, but if Warnock wins, the native-born son, who delivers sermons from the pulpit that once belonged to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will become the first Black senator from Georgia.
“So I come before you tonight as a man who knows that the improbable journey that led me to this place in the historic moment in America could only happen here,” Warnock continued. “May my story be an inspiration to some young person who is trying to grasp and grab hold of the American dream.”
Taking a page from President-elect Joe Biden's playbook, Warnock went on to say he'd be a senator for those who didn't vote for him as much as for those who did support him.
“To everyone out there struggling today, whether you voted for me or not, know this, I hear you, I see you. And every day I'm in the United States Senate, I will fight for you,” he said.