ATLANTA | Democrats moved closer to control of the US Senate on Wednesday after a historic first victory in Georgia’s dual senatorial election, at the decisive stakes for Joe Biden’s start in term.
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A few hours away from a congressional meeting aimed at formalizing the victory of the president-elect in the November 3 ballot, these results are very encouraging for Joe Biden who hopes to start his mandate on January 20 with all the levers of power.
Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, CNN, CBS and NBC reported on Wednesday.
This pastor of a church in Atlanta where Martin Luther King officiated, made history at the age of 51 by becoming the first black senator elected in this southern state.
Democrats have yet to win Georgia’s second by-senatorial election to take control of the Senate.
The other Democrat in the running, Jon Ossoff, was sure to create a surprise by narrowly winning against Republican Senator David Perdue.
“When all the ballots are counted, we absolutely expect Jon Ossoff to win this election,” his team wrote, explaining that the votes that had not yet been counted had been cast “in parts of the state. where Jon dominated ”.
Several analysts went in the same direction.
Like Kelly Loeffler, David Perdue’s team said they wanted to wait until all the votes were counted. “We believe that in the end Senator Perdue will be the winner,” she wrote.
The Democratic performances in this traditionally conservative great southern state are already a hard snub for the Grand Old Party. And if the double victory is confirmed, the Republicans, after losing the White House, would see the prestigious upper chamber escape them.
These results are also a stinging setback for Donald Trump, who still refuses to acknowledge his defeat and whose attitude of hiding behind conspiracy theories on fraud has been largely counterproductive, according to some in his camp.
Galvanized by Joe Biden’s victory in the state on November 3, a first since 1992, Democrats have succeeded in mobilizing their voters, especially African-Americans, key to any Democratic victory.
Kamala Harris as referee
If his victory is confirmed, Jon Ossoff would become, at 33, the youngest Democratic senator since … Joe Biden (in 1973).
Democrats would then have 50 seats in the Senate, like Republicans. But as the constitution provides, future vice-president Kamala Harris would have the power to decide the votes, and therefore tip the scales on the Democratic side.
“Everything is played today,” warned the former vice-president of Barack Obama, who will become in less than three weeks the 46th president of the United States.
More than three million voters, a record number for a partial senatorial in Georgia, were able to vote early, some 40 percent of those registered in the state.
For Dave Wasserman, analyst for the independent site Cook Political Report, this election night is reminiscent of the midterm elections.
“This is what we saw in 2018: Many Trump voters just don’t rally when Trump is not on the ballot,” he tweeted.
Sign of the big stakes, the elected and outgoing presidents had made Monday the trip on the ground.
These by-elections could be “your last chance to save America as we love it”, had thundered at Dalton Donald Trump.
Pro-Trump rallies
In a particularly busy and high-stakes week, Congress will meet early Wednesday afternoon to formally record the vote of the grand voters in favor of Joe Biden (306 against 232).
The outcome of this constitutional obligation is beyond doubt: Joe Biden will become president.
But Donald Trump’s crusade gives this day a special tone.
If some Republican heavyweights ended up admitting the victory of the Democrat, dozens of other parliamentarians promised to voice their objections Wednesday, and to resonate the allegations of fraud even within the Capitol.
Mr. Trump again put pressure on his Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday, who will have the ceremonial role of declaring Joe Biden the winner.
“The vice president has the power to reject fraudulently chosen voters,” the president tweeted, mistakenly.
In the street, a large demonstration of support for Donald Trump is planned in Washington.
The outgoing president confirmed that he would speak to them on Wednesday at 11 a.m. from the Ellipse, an esplanade located south of the White House.
Joe Biden, he largely refrained from commenting on this unprecedented pressure around a day that is usually a formality. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to give a speech … on the economy.