Chuck Schumer Declares Victory, Promises Change with a ‘Democratic Senate, Democratic House, and Democratic President’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Wednesday declared victory for Democrats in the Georgia Senate runoff races, one of which has been called for Raphael Warnock, promising change with a “Democratic Senate, Democratic House, and Democratic President.”

“It feels like a brand new day. For the first time in six years, Democrats will operate a majority in the United States Senate — and that will be very good for the American people,” Schumer said in a statement.

“America is experiencing one of the greatest crises we have ever faced, and the Senate Democratic Majority is committed to delivering the bold change and help Americans need and demand. Senate Democrats know America is hurting — help is on the way,” he said, expressing gratitude to the people of Georgia and across the country who “volunteered their time, donated what they could, and worked so hard to elect new leadership in Washington.”

Both Warnock and Jon Ossoff, whom he referred to as “senators-elect,” ran “first-rate campaigns and will be outstanding Senators for Georgia,” he continued, noting Georgia’s senators were both segregationists at the time Warnock, who is black, was born.

“Yesterday, Georgia just elected its first African-American Senator in its history. I am so proud of both their campaigns and excited to welcome them to the Senate,” Schumer said.

“As Majority Leader, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will have a partner who is ready, willing and able to help achieve a forward-looking agenda and deliver help and bold change to the American people,” he said, adding that help has been “stalled or diluted” by Republican leadership in the Senate.

“That will change with a Democratic Senate, Democratic House, and Democratic President,” the New York lawmaker said, promising to “work every day to reward the faith that the American people have placed in us”:

Warnock defeated GOP incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) in one of the Senate runoff races in the Peach State. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Warnock leads Loeffler 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent, according to the Associated Press.

The race between Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Jon Ossoff is a bit tighter and yet to be called, although the Democrat leads Perdue 50.2 percent to 49.8 percent with 98 percent reporting. Neither GOP senators had conceded as of Wednesday morning.

“As we’ve said repeatedly over the last several weeks and as recently as this evening, this is an exceptionally close election that will require time and transparency to be certain the results are fair and accurate and the voices of Georgians are heard,” Perdue’s campaign said in a statement.

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