atlanta voters
© AFP / Virginie KippelenVoters at a polling station in Atlanta, Georgia, January 5, 2021.
Major media outlets are projecting victory for Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock over Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler in one of two knife-edge run-off Senate elections in Georgia.

Warnock, a 51-year-old Atlanta pastor, was named as the winner by Associated Press, CBC News, CNN, Edison Research and other major election monitors.

Warnock has acknowledged his historic win — the first for a Democratic senatorial candidate in Georgia in two decades — in a livestream address to supporters.

"We were told that we couldn't win this election. But tonight, we proved that with hope, hard work and the people by our side, anything is possible," he said.


The Democratic Party needs two victories in Georgia to secure a Senate majority. The battle for the second seat between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican David Perdue remains neck-and-neck.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the counting of ballots was paused for the night and will continue on Wednesday morning, possibly producing the final tally by midday.