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25 Democratic senators endorse Atlanta reverend in Georgia Senate race

Twenty-five Democratic senators lent their muscle to the race for one of the two open Senate seats in Georgia by endorsing Reverend Raphael Warnock, who is widely seen as the Democrats’ best chance in the special November election to flip the seat. The seat was vacated by Johnny Isakson at the end of 2019 and is currently held by controversial Trump ally Senator Kelly Loeffler.

The majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus endorsed Warnock, and the senators themselves range in ideology from more moderate to progressive and are from both Democratic- and Republican-heavy states — as well as some battleground states. Warnock had already received the endorsement from five Democratic senators who ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary: Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker and Michael Bennet.

“I’m beyond grateful for the support of so many leaders in this movement, who I hope to call colleagues very soon.” Warnock said in a statement first obtained by CBS News. “They have stood on the side of working people across this country, and I look forward to joining them in the struggle for the soul of our nation and against the injustice and corruption in Washington.

Warnock has served as the senior pastor at the famous Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the former pulpit of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, for 14 years.

Election 2020-Georgia
The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, greets supporters at the state Capitol in Atlanta on Friday, March 6, 2020. Warnock filed paperwork to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot for Georgia’s special U.S. Senate election.

Benjamin Nadler / AP


Warnock is not only facing Loeffler in November but also Republican Congressman Doug Collins, who is leading recent polls. 

In one of the most competitive races in the country, Warnock has received the endorsements of organizations like Planned Parenthood, the Brady PAC and NARAL Pro-Choice America. He has also scored the endorsement of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.

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