Georgia Runoff Today Will Settle Last U.S. Senate Seat

Georgia voters today will decide the final Senate contest in the country, choosing between Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Polls show Warnock with a slight lead.

There is a notable difference between a 51-seat majority and a 50-50 majority. If Warnock holds on, Democrats will have actual majorities on committees, allowing President Biden’s nominees to be confirmed more easily. Holding a committee majority would also give Democrats the ability to use subpoena power without GOP support.

Leading up to Election Day, early voting in the Peach State set a number of single-day records and around 1.85 million had already been cast before the period ended on Friday.

Reflecting the critical significance of the race, spending by the candidates and outside groups has neared $400 million, making it the most expensive contest in the 2022 election cycle, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets.org.​

A survey by Emerson College and The Hill late last week found Warnock with a 2-point lead. Among those surveyed who had already voted, Warnock had a 29-point advantage.”

The New York Times says Walker’s “Republican allies believe he needs to win about 60% of the in-person vote — about four percentage points more than his advantage in last month’s general election.”