Democrat Raphael Warnock defeats Sen. Kelly Loeffler in Georgia runoff

Democrat Raphael Warnock was declared the victor in one of Georgia’s two Senate runoff elections, defeating incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler.

Warnock, a pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, became the first black man elected to represent Georgia in the Senate.

With his narrow win, Democrats have inched closer to seizing control of the Senate.

Warnock led Loeffler by over 40,000 votes with 97 percent reporting, according to the Associated Press.

Hours before it was officially called, Warnock declared victory in a virtual address to supporters.

“Georgia, I am honored by the faith that you have shown in me,” Warnock said.

“And I promise you this tonight: I am going to the Senate to work for all of Georgia, no matter who you cast your vote for in this election.”

Loeffler, meanwhile, did not concede in her own speech late Tuesday.

“We got some work to do here. This is a game of inches. We’re going to win this election. We’re going to save this country,” Loeffler said.

Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff, who was leading GOP Sen. David Perdue by a razor-thin margin in Georgia’s other Senate runoff race, was optimistic about his chances early Wednesday.

“When all the votes are counted we fully expect that Jon Ossoff will have won this election,” his campaign said in a statement.

“The outstanding vote is squarely in parts of the state where Jon’s performance has been dominant.”

With Post wires