WASHINGTON – Control of the US Senate may once again be decided in Georgia, weeks after Election Day as a tight race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker could be headed to a Dec 6 runoff.
With more than 99 per cent of the vote counted, Warnock is narrowly leading against Walker, a former football star endorsed by former president Donald Trump.
But Warnock has not yet reached the 50 per cent threshold needed to avoid a runoff, according to data from Edison Research.
A third candidate, libertarian Chase Oliver, siphoned off 2 per cent of the vote.
Warnock, a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Atlanta church civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr led, won his seat in a runoff in 2021.
It was one of two Senate seats up for grabs in the formerly reliably Republican state. In a political upset, both Democrats won their races, handing their party the barest of majorities in the chamber.
Those races were the most expensive congressional elections to date at that time, with the special election between Warnock and his Republican opponent, businesswoman Kelly Loeffler, drawing nearly US$363 million (S$508 million), according to Open Secrets.
So far, Warnocks campaign has spent US$135.8 million, while Walkers campaign has spent US$32.4 million, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
Millions in outside spending are also expected to flood the state. REUTERS More On This Topic Nervous supporters and nail-bitingly close races in US midterm elections In Georgia, Senate control may come down to economy and inflation woes