GOP’s Perdue congratulates Sen.-elect Ossoff.
Democrat will be youngest sitting member of U.S. Senate
ATLANTA — Democratic control of the U.S. Senate came one step closer to fruition Friday after Georgia Republican David Perdue conceded his runoff loss to Democrat Jon Ossoff.
A day earlier, the GOP’s Kelly Loeffler conceded to Democrat Raphael Warnock in Georgia’s other Senate race.
Perdue thanked supporters in a statement before acknowledging his loss in Tuesday’s election, saying, “I want to congratulate the Democratic Party and my opponent for this runoff win.”
After a race marked by sharp personal attacks, Perdue’s statement did not mention Ossoff by name.
A spokesman for Ossoff’s campaign said the Democrat had not received a call from Perdue and that they learned about his concession from media reports.
The victory means Ossoff, 33, will be the youngest sitting member of the Senate and the state’s first Jewish senator.
Perdue, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was elected to the Senate in 2014. He led Ossoff by about 88,000 votes in November’s general election, but failed to top 50% and avoid the runoff.
When Georgia’s Senate contests went into overtime, Ossoff was buoyed by the national implications of the race as well as Trump’s continued attacks on the election results — and Ossoff won Tuesday by about 47,000 votes.
The wins by Ossoff and Warnock mark a striking shift in Georgia’s political landscape, which has been dominated by Republicans for years. President-elect Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992 with his victory in November.
Ossoff and Warnock will be sworn in after the results are certified. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has until Jan. 22 to do so, though it could be done earlier.
The Democratic victories in Georgia will yield a 50-50 split in the Senate, giving the tie-breaking vote to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.