Senator Raphael Warnock has won a crucial Senate race in the United States, defeating Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia.
The victory in the Georgia Senate runoff has secured a 51-seat majority for the Democrats in the Senate, after two years under a 50-50 divide with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote.
The win bolsters the Democrats’ power in the Senate and gives President Joe Biden a clear path for getting legislation through.
Walker, a former football player, had been handpicked by Donald Trump. His loss in Georgia is damaging for the former president, who has seen many of his chosen candidates perform poorly at the ballot box during the midterms.
Warnock, the incumbent Democrat senator, won the Senate spot with overwhelming support from Black voters in Georgia, who account for one third of the electorate.
Claiming victory on Tuesday (US time), Warnock said: “It is my honour to utter the four most powerful words spoken in a democracy: The people have spoken.”
On Twitter, Vice President Kamala Harris congratulated Warnock on his win that will see him sit in the Senate for another six years.
“Georgia voters said they wanted a Senator who would fight for them – and made it a reality when they reelected @ReverendWarnock,” she wrote.
Walker’s candidacy had been defined by a series of accusations from his personal life, including being accused by two former girlfriends of paying for their abortions, despite his outspoken opposition to abortion rights. During the campaign he had supported an outright national ban on abortion. Walker denies the allegations from both women.
Walker’s ex-wife Cindy Grossman has also accused him of violent, threatening behaviour during their marriage. Her allegations featured in advertising run on television as part of Warnock’s campaign.