Democrat makes history with win

DEMOCRAT Raphael Warnock has won one of Georgia’s two US Senate runoffs, becoming the first black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the Democrats’ reach.

Mr Warnock, a pastor who spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr preached, defeated Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler.

It was a stinging rebuke of outgoing President Donald Trump, who made one of his final trips in office to Georgia to rally his loyal base behind Ms Loeffler and the Republican running for the other seat, David Perdue.

The focus now shifts to the second race between Mr Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff.

That contest was too early to call as votes were still being counted.

If Mr Ossoff wins, Democrats will have complete control of Congress, strengthening president-elect Joe Biden’s standing as he prepares to take office on January 20.

Mr Warnock’s victory is a symbol of a striking shift in Georgia’s politics as the swelling number of diverse, collegeeducated voters flex their power in the heart of the Deep South.

It marks the end of nearly two decades in which Democrats have been shut out of statewide office.