Raphael Warnock

Raphael Gamaliel Warnock born July 23 1969 is an American Baptist pastor and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia since 2021 A member of the Democratic Party he assumed office on January 20 2021 the same day as the Inauguration of Joe Biden Since 2005 Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlantas Ebenezer Baptist Church He was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church until 2005 Warnock came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act On January 30 2020 Warnock announced his candidacy in Georgias 2020 United States Senate special election seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler No candidate received a majority of the vote on election day so Warnock faced Loeffler again in a January 5 2021 runoff election which he won by more than 93000 votes With Warnocks win and Jon Ossoffs victory in the concurrent regularly scheduled election Democrats won control of the Senate for the first time since 2012 Warnock and Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the US Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000 Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate and the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state He was reelected to a full term in 2022 defeating Republican nominee Herschel Walker