Georgia Is Headed to a Senate Runoff. What Happens Next?

Neither Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican Herschel Walker gained over 50% of the vote in Georgia on Election Day, multiple outlets projected, likely pushing the race into a December 6 runoff. 

For Context: If other battleground Senate races go the way they’re currently leaning, Georgia will determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the Senate in January. This isn’t the first time it’s all come down to Georgia — the state’s runoffs after the 2020 election handed Democrats their current razor-thin majority. 

Third-Party in Focus: While Warnock and Walker respectively received 49.41% and 48.52% of the vote, according to The New York Times (Lean Left bias), Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver received 2.07%. Oliver’s role in preventing a first-round winner stands in contrast with Arizona Libertarian Marc Victor, who dropped out of the race one week before Election Day to avoid drawing support away from Republican Blake Masters. 

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was widespread across the spectrum, particularly in politics-focused outlets like Politico (Lean Left bias) and Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias). Several top homepage headlines said the election was “Down to Georgia.”