Democrat Jon Ossoff claims victory in Senate runoff in Georgia

Democrat Jon Ossoff has claimed victory for Democrats in the crucial Senate runoffs in Georgia. In a video posted on his social media handle, Ossoff thanked the people of Georgia for electing him to the US Senate.

The Democrats have won one of the two Senate runoffs in the state of Georgia. 

On one seat, Democrat Raphael Warnock ousted the incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler, AFP reported. Warnock, an African-American pastor has narrowly defeated Loeffler, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump.

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On the second seat, Democrat Jon Ossoff has contested against Republican David Purdue, whose term as the Senator ended on Sunday, AFP reported. Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker and Purdue, a former businessman.

Although the official results haven’t come out yet, Ossoff thanked voters for “electing” him to the US Senate.

“It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate. Thank you for the confidence and trust that you have placed in me,” he said.

The runoffs are crucial as they’ll determine who’ll control the Congress. If the Democrats win both the seats, they’ll control the Senate. This is because there will be a 50-50 split and the deciding vote will be cast by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who is a Democrat.

The party already controls the House of Representatives and by winning the Senate, President-elect Joe Biden will find it easy to advance his policies.

Also read: With $500 million spent in ads, Georgia Senate runoffs most expensive in US history

It was during the 111th US Congress, from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2011, that Democrats controlled both the chambers. This helped former president Barack Obama to advance his policies.