Jon Ossoff Projected to Win in Georgia Runoff Election

By D. Cruz First Posted: Jan 06, 2021 09:47 PM EST

(Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images) U.S. Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff delivers remarks during a campaign rally with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden at Pullman Yard on December 15, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Democratic Senatorial candidate Jon Ossoff was called by news outlets as the winner in the Georgia runoff election that will determine Senate majority.

New York Times reported that Ossoff had a very narrow lead against Republican Sen. David Perdue, with 50.4% compared to 49.6%.

The Georgia runoff election for Ossoff and Perdue had around a 35,000 vote difference, with 98% of precincts reported.

This meant a second victory for Democrats in the Georgia runoff election after Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock defeated Sen. Kelly Loeffler.

The runoff had a one percent margin, or was about 50,000 votes apart between candidates at 98% precinct reporting.

Loeffler assumed the Senate seat after former Senator Johnny Isakson retired for health reasons on New Year's Eve 2019, and Warnock will be serving the remainder of Isakson's third Senate term which will expire in 2022, reported Daily Wire.

This Democratic sweep would result in an evenly split Senate, with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Meaning, any tied votes will be decided by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

The Associated Press was one of the first to call the race after 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Jon Ossoff Promises to be 'For You in the US Senate'

Following the new outlet projections, Ossoff livestreamed a victory speech at 8 a.m. Wednesday, reported Breitbart.

"Whether you were for me, or against me, I'll be for you in the U.S. Senate," Ossoff said.

He mainly spoke about his coronavirus campaign and reiterated his campaign message of "health, jobs and justice."

With regards to his plans on the coronavirus, he said he would be trusting medical experts and push for "robust public health response so that we can defeat this virus."

Once officially declared for the spot, Ossoff will become the youngest member of the US Senate.

Perdue had not yet offered concession to Ossoff but his campaign release a statement around 2.a. on Wednesday saying it believed Perdue may emerge as the winner of the Georgia runoff election.

The statement described the polls as "an exceptionally close election" and said results will need to take time and transparency to ensure fairness and accuracy.

"We will mobilize every available resource and exhaust every legal recourse to ensure all legally cast ballots are properly counted," the statement read. "We believe in the end, Senator Perdue will be victorious."

Voter Fraud Claims Contributed to GOP Loss in Georgia Runoff Election

Some Republicans acknowledged that the months-long push to undermine the integrity of the electoral system may have been one of the reasons for GOP's loss in the Georgia runoff election.

Republican Senator Mitt Romney said, "It turns out that telling the voters that the election was rigged is not a great way to turn out your voters."

But even with Trump's claims voters were still drawn to the polls because of the high stakes, reported Associated Press.

Reports said the runoffs' turnout was more than the 2016 presidential election in the state.

Another last-minute wrench thrown on Perdue's campaign was when he announced that he came into contact with someone who was tested positive for the coronavirus.

Even though Perdue appeared to have tested negative, he still quarantined for the last six days of the campaign which effectively sidelined him from the campaign trail.