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Democrat Raphael Warnock is looking to make history as Georgia s first black senator in his high-stakes special election runoff against Republican millionaire businesswoman Kelly Loeffler.
The contest between political novices Warnock, 51, and Loeffler, 50, on Jan. 5 for the remaining two years of retired Sen. Johnny Isakson s term will determine Senate control in the next Congress.
And with more than $500 million to be funneled into Georgia ahead of their matchup and a twin runoff between Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democratic filmmaker Jon Ossoff, both Loeffler and Warnock are under immense scrutiny.
Warnock, a preacher, emerged relatively unscathed from the Nov. 3 election after Loeffler, who s trying to become Georgia s first elected woman senator, became locked in a primary-like dynamic with Republican Rep. Doug Collins, the two competing over GOP voters amid a crowded 21-candidate field.