United States Senate special election in Georgia

United States Senate special election in Georgia were two concurrent runoff elections held on January 5, 2021, to determine both of Georgia's seats in the United States Senate. The elections were triggered because no candidate in the November 2020 general election secured a majority, as required by Georgia election law. The results delivered historic victories for Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock over incumbent Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively. These wins shifted partisan control of the United States Senate, giving the Democratic Party a functional majority with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Background

The special elections were necessitated by the unique circumstances surrounding both of Georgia's Senate classes. The regular election for the Class II seat held by David Perdue proceeded to a runoff after no candidate received over 50% of the vote in the November 2020 election. Simultaneously, a special election for the Class III seat was held to fill the remainder of the term of retired Senator Johnny Isakson; Governor Brian Kemp had appointed Kelly Loeffler to the seat in 2019. The 2020 general election for this seat was a jungle primary featuring candidates from all parties, and with no majority winner, the top two finishers, Loeffler and Warnock, advanced to the runoff. The elections occurred in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 United States presidential election, where Joe Biden narrowly carried Georgia, and against the backdrop of intense national focus and unprecedented spending.

Candidates

The runoff for the Class II seat featured incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue, a former CEO of Reebok, and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker and former congressional aide. The runoff for the Class III seat pitted appointed incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, a businesswoman and co-owner of the Atlanta Dream WNBA franchise, against Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Both Democratic candidates were bolstered by the organizational efforts of Stacey Abrams and her Fair Fight Action organization, while the Republican incumbents were strongly endorsed by then-President Donald Trump.

Election results

On January 5, 2021, Jon Ossoff defeated David Perdue with 2,269,923 votes (50.6%) to Perdue's 2,214,979 (49.4%). In the concurrent race, Raphael Warnock defeated Kelly Loeffler with 2,289,113 votes (51.0%) to Loeffler's 2,195,006 (49.0%). The results were certified by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after a mandatory risk-limiting audit. Turnout was extraordinarily high for a runoff election, with over 4.4 million ballots cast, fueled by massive early and absentee voting efforts. The victories were particularly notable in populous metropolitan Atlanta counties like Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett.

Aftermath

The dual Democratic victories resulted in a 50-50 partisan split in the United States Senate, with effective control going to the Democrats due to the tie-breaking constitutional power of Vice President Kamala Harris. This allowed the new Biden administration to advance its legislative agenda, including the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The elections also had significant political repercussions within the Republican Party, intensifying internal debates about strategy and leadership following the 2020 presidential loss. Senator Raphael Warnock would face voters again in the 2022 regular election, which he won, while the races cemented Georgia's status as a premier battleground state in American politics.

Category:2021 elections in the United States Category:United States Senate elections in Georgia