Georgia Senate runoff live updates: Warnock celebrates win, Walker admits defeat
The election was the final battle of the 2022 midterms.
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.
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What changes in Senate if Walker wins the seat
If Republican challenger Walker wins the Senate seat, the chamber would stay in its current power-sharing agreement.
A 50-50 split has meant Democrats can't afford a single dissenter, leaving them with little breathing room in passing legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has had to constantly corral his caucus, which spans from conservative Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., all the way to progressive independents like Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. That dynamic would continue should Walker win the seat.
The split also slows the process for procedures like moving judicial nominees out of committee for a full vote. Republicans can block Biden nominees in the Judiciary Committee, forcing an additional vote on the Senate floor.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott has alluded to that in pitching Walker to voters, saying he could help "block" the Democratic majoriry.-ABC News' Allison Pecorin
Polls now closed
Polls closed at 7 p.m. ET in the Georgia Senate runoff race.
State officials said Tuesday they anticipate record turnout for a midterm runoff, with more than 1.4 million votes possibly cast on Election Day, on top of the nearly 1.9 million early votes.
When to expect results after polls close
After Georgia’s polls close at 7 p.m. ET, counties can begin reporting their vote totals, according to a Georgia secretary of state spokesperson. These numbers will most likely be early vote and absentees at first, which were able to start being tabulated at 7 a.m. on Tuesday
“Counties move through reporting Election Day totals as quickly as they can. Steady pace is typically the norm,” spokesperson Robert said.
A look back at Walker and Warnock's campaign messages
Warnock, in his second consecutive runoff election in less than two years, has campaigned heavily in recent weeks on the theme of “character.”A reverend at Martin Luther King Jr.'s former church and Georgia’s first Black senator, Warnock also pitched himself to the battleground state's voters as a pragmatic, experienced leader.
“I’ll put my character up against Raphael Warnock any day,” Warnock told ABC News on Tuesday.
While Walker has waved off or simply ignored the controversies surrounding his campaign, some of the issues raised by them have become a part of his messaging to voters on mental health, his Christian faith and his path to "redemption."
Walker has also tried to paint Warnock as a “rubber stamp” for President Joe Biden, describing himself as a potential check on the administration, which is unpopular in Georgia.
Warnock, in response to Walker’s characterization of him, said he's worked with Republicans during his nearly two years in Washington.
"I am the 18th most bipartisan senator in the Senate. Period,” Warnock told ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott on Tuesday. “Now I know that’s an inconvenient fact for Mr. Walker. We also know that he’s allergic to facts, even the facts about his own life.”