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Jon Ossoff wins Georgia runoff, clinching Democratic control of Senate

06 January 2021
Dan Ackermann

Democrat Jon Ossoff has defeated former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) in Georgia's runoff race for the U.S. Senate, AP projected Wednesday.

Why it matters: The projected victory came hours after Rev. Raphael Warnock defeated Sen. Kelly Loeffler and officially secures Democratic control of the Senate. The 50-50 split means that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tie-breaking vote after Jan. 20.

Background: Ossoff, who at 33 will be the youngest senator in U.S. history, drew national attention in 2017 when he nearly flipped a Georgia congressional seat against former Rep. Karen Handel (R).

  • The House race drew in record fundraising and was seen as one of the first indicators of Democratic enthusiasm following President Trump's 2016 victory.

The AP call came as a mob stormedthe Capitol building, halting the certification of Joe Biden's win and putting the Capitol complex into lockdown.

Between the lines: Democrats in the state may have benefited from Trump's attacks on Georgia Republicans in recent weeks.

  • Trump, who lost Georgia by over 11,000 votes, falsely claimed the state's elections were rigged and has pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) to overturn the results.
  • Perdue's ability to campaign was also limited during the final days of the election. He and his wife are in quarantine due to coronavirus exposure.

Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said sending $2,000 stimulus checks would be the first order of business in the new Congress once Ossoff and Warnock are sworn in.

President-elect Biden rallied for Democrats in Atlanta on Monday, focusing on the potential for more economic stimulus if Democrats take the Senate.

  • "Two-thousand-dollar checks will go out the door, restoring hope and decency and honor for so many people who are struggling right now," Biden said.
Data: AP; Chart: Naema Ahmed, Danielle Alberti, Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.