Warnock Defeats Walker in Georgia, Marking Another Failed Trump Candidate

Former President Donald Trump has endured another loss as Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock clinched a tight victory over Republican Herschel Walker in the key race for U.S. Senate in Georgia.

CNN and NBC called the runoff election in favor of Warnock before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. With this win, Democrats now hold 51 seats in the Senate, as Republicans stand at 49.

In the week leading up to the runoff election, Warnock targeted the youth vote and advocated for early voting. He was also very vocal on social media, calling out Walker for being "Donald Trump's hand-picked candidate."

Earlier Tuesday, Trump took to Truth Social to express his support for Walker, saying: "IMPORTANT: Tomorrow has become TODAY. To the Great State of Georgia, VOTE TODAY FOR HERSCHEL, he will never let you down!"

This election cycle has handed the former president major losses, including Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin and Republican Pennsylvania senatorial candidate Mehmet Oz.

Both Democrats and Republicans have bashed Trump, pointing out that the previously anticipated "red wave" never materialized during the midterm elections. Most notably, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan have been outspoken in distancing themselves from the former president.

Earle-Sears told Fox Business last month: "The voters have spoken, and they have said that they want a different leader," continuing, "and a true leader understands, when they have become a liability, a true leader understands that it's time to step off the stage. And the voters have given us that very clear message."

Raphael Warnock
Georgia Democratic Senate candidate U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) speaks during an election night watch party at the Marriott Marquis on December 6, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Sen. Warnock has tonight defeated his Republican challenger... Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Trump responded to Earle-Sears while sharing a Newsweek article, calling her a "phony."

Political consultant Craig Agranoff earlier told Newsweek, "If Warnock wins it will possibly show that former President Trump does not hold the clout one might think he has."

"This will make it a tad bit easier for President [Joe] Biden to get some administrative positions through, as well as judicial."

Alyssa Farah Griffin, conservative CNN commentator and co-host of The View, took to Twitter after Walker's loss, saying: "For folks keeping track at home: Donald Trump once again cost Republicans a GA Senate Seat!" followed by a "#WalkAway" hashtag.

Longtime Trump supporter, Georgia GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, voiced her appreciation for her state's voters who "turned out to vote to try to get our US Senate seat back."

"This loss is not a reflection of our voters, but more a reflection of campaign strategies, messaging, and missteps that didn't produce victory for Georgia," Greene continued.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Anna Commander is a Newsweek Editor and writer based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on crime, weather and breaking ... Read more

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