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By backing Raphael Warnock against Kelly Loeffler, Sue Bird and the WNBA helped flip the Senate
SEATTLE — Five days before WNBA players wore black T-shirts that read "VOTE WARNOCK" last summer, the Rev. Raphael Warnock was polling at 9% and fourth among 21 candidates vying for a Senate seat in Georgia. Six months later, Warnock, a Democrat making his foray into politics, won a runoff against incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler on Jan. 5 to become the first Black senator in Georgia. Warnock's victory combined with Democrat Jon Ossoff's runoff win over Georgia incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue gave Democrats control of the Senate, in addition to their majority in the House and ...
The Seattle Times
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Chris Jones: A modest proposal for our democracy: Change those election night ‘magic walls’ on CNN and FOX
How, in the absence of any evidence whatsoever, did President Donald J. Trump persuade so many ordinary Americans of the veracity of his Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent? That will be a matter of great interest to future political scholars and historians, given the horrific consequences of an act of persuasion that culminated in an armed mob attacking the Capitol, resulting in a destabilized country, terrorized legislators and the loss of human life. Even after Trump is consigned to the detritus of the past, the question will linger. Undoubtedly, many in the mob had p...
Chicago Tribune
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp: Photo ID requirements for absentee ballots ‘front and center’ this year
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp strongly endorsed adding photo ID requirements for absentee ballots on Monday at the start of a legislative session that’s sure to be shaped by a debate over voting laws after epic turnout helped Democrats flip Georgia in the race for president and sweep the Senate runoffs. In an interview, the Republican said he is “reserving judgment” on a series of proposals that seek to end at-will absentee voting, ban ballot drop boxes and restrict state officials or outside groups from sending out absentee ballot applications. But Kemp said he unequivocally supported mea...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Judge rules ethics panel can get bank records of former Abrams group
ATLANTA — A superior court judge ruled a voting registration group founded by Stacey Abrams should turn over bank records to state ethics investigators who say it advocated for her election as governor in 2018 without registering as a campaign committee or filing disclosures showing how much it raised or spent. The New Georgia Project is no longer Abrams’ organization, but it is one of several targeted by David Emadi, executive secretary of the state ethics commission, who is looking into whether groups were part of an effort to help the Democratic nominee win the governor’s race in 2018. The ...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Former Fort Worth airline employee was on U.S. Senate floor wearing helmet during riot
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Grapevine, Texas man who was an employee of a private charter airline that operates from Fort Worth's Alliance Airport has acknowledged that he was involved last week in the insurrection on the U.S. Senate chamber floor. Larry Brock Jr., 53, told The New Yorker that the presidential election in November, in which the Air Force veteran's preferred candidate, President Donald Trump, lost, was fraudulent, a position that is not supported by evidence. A spokesperson for the airline, Hillwood Airways, said on Saturday that Brock is no longer affiliated or associated with the...
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Senate runoffs decided, but one Georgia county plans a recount anyway
ATLANTA — Georgia's Senate runoffs weren't as close as the contentious presidential election, but one county is planning a full audit of every ballot to verify the results. Bartow County Elections Supervisor Joseph Kirk announced Friday that election workers will manually recount the county's 43,000 ballots cast in the runoffs, checking the accuracy of machine counts. "The whole reason we have these paper ballots is to confirm that we counted properly," Kirk said Friday. "This is a key step in promoting public confidence. Whether the results are close or not, we should always be working toward...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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‘The biggest mistake I’ve ever made’: Former Missouri Sen. Danforth rues mentoring Hawley, blames him for Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — Former Missouri Sen. John Danforth spent years promoting Josh Hawley as the future of the Republican Party, a “once-in-a-generation” candidate destined to contend for the presidency, perhaps in 2024. But a day after the riot at the U.S. Capitol that left four people dead, Danforth blamed his former protégé for sparking the insurrection. “I thought he was special. And I did my best to encourage people to support him both for attorney general and later the U.S. Senate and it was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life,” he said Thursday. “I don’t know if he was always like thi...
The Kansas City Star
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Democrats sweep Georgia’s runoffs, flip control of US Senate
ATLANTA — Democrats swept Georgia’s two U.S. Senate runoffs on Wednesday to flip control of the chamber, pulling off stunning victories that will shape President-elect Joe Biden’s administration and transform the state’s political landscape. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock narrowly defeated U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler after a nine-week runoff that attracted record-setting spending, legions of volunteers and unprecedented political attention. The races were called by national outlets after final tallies from metro Atlanta were counted. Each made history with the improbable victori...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Weary from a long campaign, Georgians cast their votes - again
ATLANTA — Georgians endured back-to-back-to-back television commercials, mailboxes stuffed with campaign flyers, telephone calls at dinnertime and text messages day and night — all trying to convince them David Perdue is a crook, Jon Ossoff is a tool of Communist China, Kelly Loeffler cares only about Kelly Loeffler, and Raphael Warnock is a radical Marxist who doesn’t really like puppies. And now it’s over. But as voters finally had their say Tuesday in runoffs for Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats, many seemed less energized than worn down by the monthslong slog that finally concluded the 2020...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Georgia US Senate races still to too close to call
ATLANTA — Control of the U.S. Senate hung in the balance Tuesday as Georgians rushed to the polls to decide a pair of runoffs that will shape President-elect Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. The contests were too early to call Tuesday evening as campaigns braced for an extended vote count. The stakes were monumental as Republican U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler squared off against Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, cliffhangers that attracted record-setting spending, legions of volunteers and unprecedented political attention. The races ended the way they started, with a conce...
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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