Raphael Warnock

Raphael Warnock
Name	Raphael Warnock
Caption	Official portrait, 2021
State	Georgia
Jr/sr	United States Senator
Alongside	Jon Ossoff
Term start	January 20, 2021
Predecessor	Kelly Loeffler
Office1	Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church
Term start1	2005
Predecessor1	Joseph Lowery
Birth date	23 July 1969
Birth place	Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Oulèye Ndoye (m. 2016; div. 2020)
Education	Morehouse College (BA), Union Theological Seminary (MDiv, PhD)
Website	warnock.senate.gov

Raphael Warnock is an American pastor and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the first African American senator from Georgia and the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the former pulpit of Martin Luther King Jr.. His election, alongside Jon Ossoff, shifted control of the United States Senate to the Democrats.

Early life and education

Born in Savannah, he was one of twelve children raised in public housing by parents who worked as a pastor and a firefighter. He attended Sol C. Johnson High School before enrolling at Morehouse College, the historically Black college in Atlanta where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently earned a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Philosophy in Systematic theology from the Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Ministry and activism

In 2005, he was called to serve as the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, succeeding civil rights icon Joseph Lowery. His ministry has focused on social justice, including advocacy for healthcare expansion, voting rights, and criminal justice reform. He was arrested in 2014 during a Moral Monday protest at the Georgia State Capitol against the state's refusal to expand Medicaid. He also served as chairman of the New Georgia Project, a voter registration organization.

U.S. Senate career

He was elected in the 2021 special election, defeating appointed incumbent Kelly Loeffler. This victory, certified after a runoff election, gave Democrats effective control of the United States Senate. He was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris. In the 117th United States Congress, he served on the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. He won a full six-year term in the 2022 election, defeating Herschel Walker.

Political positions

A progressive Democrat, he is a strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act and has advocated for lowering prescription drug costs through Medicare negotiation. He co-sponsored the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and has been a vocal critic of the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder. On foreign policy, he is a supporter of U.S. support for Israel and voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. He has also worked on bipartisan legislation addressing type 2 diabetes and sickle cell disease.

Electoral history

* 2021 U.S. Senate special election (Georgia): Defeated Kelly Loeffler (Republican) in a runoff. * 2022 U.S. Senate election (Georgia): Defeated Herschel Walker (Republican) in a runoff.

Personal life

He was married to Oulèye Ndoye from 2016 until their divorce in 2020; they have two children. In 2023, he was involved in a highly publicized traffic incident in Atlanta where his vehicle struck another car. He has authored a book, A Way Out of No Way, and his sermons are broadcast nationally on Radio One's Praise network.

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:United States senators from Georgia Category:Morehouse College alumni Category:Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Category:21st-century American politicians