The Story:
Voters in Georgia will decide the next occupant of both of their seats in the US Senate in twin run-off elections, on January 5, 2021. This post shall speak of the runoff between Kelly Loeffler (R) and Raphael Warnock (D). Tomorrow we will have something to say about the other race.
Background:
As of this writing, Democrats will be filling 48 of the 100 seats in the Senate that convenes soon after the Georgia vote. Republicans will be filling 50 of these seats. If the Republican candidate wins either of the two seats at issue, that party will hold the majority and will organize the Senate. But if the Democratic candidates win both of them, the split will be 50-50 and the vote of the incoming Vice President, Kamala Harris. will give the Democratic Party the prerogative of organizing the Senate.
The Thing to Know:
Loeffler is the incumbent, having been appointed to the seat in December 2019 by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp when Senator Isakson retired for reasons of health. Until that appointment she had been the chief executive of Bakkt, a corporation that maintains a digital platform for the trading of Bitcoin and fiat currencies and that is a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange.
Warnock is the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and has a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary, a distinguished institution affiliated with Columbia University.
