Raphael Warnock has been reelected, defeating Herschel Walker in a tight race for U.S. Senate.
Sen. Raphael Warnock has won reelection in Georgia, the Associated Press reports, giving the Democrats a 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate.
Warnock defeated first-time candidate Herschel Walker, whose campaign was beset by allegations that he paid two women to have abortions.
Warnock finished ahead of Walker in the election on Nov. 8, but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Former President Barack Obama, who had campaigned for Warnock earlier in the race, returned to Georgia during the runoff to urge voters to come back to the polls.
Though Democrats were already guaranteed to hold onto control of the Senate, the extra seat gives them some breathing room, and should make it easier to pass appointments out of Senate committees.
