Why Warnock Won and What it Means

Another Democratic win in Georgia tells us a lot about the state of national politics

Well, Raphael Warnock won; Herschel Walker lost, and all is right in the world. Okay, that might be a bit of an overstatement. The very idea that nearly half of Georgians thought Walker should be in the Senate is enough to make us wonder about the future of the human race.

In all seriousness, Democrats now have a functional Senate majority and one more reliable vote for Joe Biden’s agenda. This is the result the polls and pundits predicted for weeks. In that sense, it’s expected. But don’t forget that Democrats have won four major statewide races in Georgia in two years, which seemed impossible not long ago. In fact, many folks thought the Biden campaign was lighting money on fire when they decided to make a late push for Georgia in 2020. Winning this race in this year is a very big deal. Here’s what it (may) mean:

Georgia is a Purple State

In 2008, Barack Obama won three long-time Red states — Virginia, Indiana, and North Carolina. By 2012, Indiana returned to its roots and Obama lost it by 11 points. North Carolina remained competitive-ish, but no Democrat has won a statewide federal race since 2008. Virginia, on the other hand, was instantly Purple, if not Blue. Every Democratic Presidential candidate since Obama won it with relative ease. Both Senators are Democrats. The current occupant notwithstanding, Democrats have dominated the Governor’s Mansion for more than a decade.