Dear MoveOn member,
Something amazing is happening in Georgia. Reverend Raphael Warnock—the civil rights leader, senior pastor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and now Democratic Senate candidate—is ahead in the polls and surging!1
Candidates like Rev. Warnock do not come along very often.
President Barack Obama just endorsed Rev. Warnock, as have Stacey Abrams, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, the late Congressman John Lewis, and MoveOn members in Georgia.2,3
If Rev. Warnock wins, he would be the first Black senator from Georgia ever and the first Democratic senator elected from Georgia in two decades. And this seat could very well determine whether we flip the Senate blue, finally take the Senate gavel from Mitch McConnell, reform the Supreme Court, and start passing hundreds of House-passed bills that McConnell sent to his "legislative graveyard."4
Rev. Warnock is challenging Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, an ardent Trump supporter and former Wall Street executive who sold off $20 million in stock after learning in a closed-door Senate briefing that the pandemic could crash the economy.5 Loeffler was not elected by the people of Georgia but was appointed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp. As the wealthiest member of the Senate, Loeffler is spending $20 million of her personal fortune to try to hold on to her seat.6
Rev. Warnock is gaining ground but urgently needs our help to fight off Loeffler's massive war chest and turn out voters all across the state.
Rev. Warnock doesn't just understand the struggles of working people in Georgia; he's lived them.
He grew up in a housing project in Savannah, GA, one of 12 children.7 When he enrolled at Morehouse College, Rev. Warnock didn't know how he would pay the full tuition. With the help of low-interest student loans and Pell Grants, he graduated, earned a Ph.D., and was ordained in the ministry. Fifteen years ago, he was chosen to serve as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the youngest pastor selected to serve in that leadership role at the historic church.
Rev. Warnock believes his impact does not stop at the church door and has been a powerful and effective organizer in his community and beyond.
Now, Rev. Warnock is trying to bring to Washington the concerns of struggling families who wonder why no one is looking out for them. He's focused on fighting for quality, affordable health care, for the dignity of working people who are paid too little as our government works more for Wall Street, and to make every voice heard.
Will you stand with Rev. Warnock and rush a $3 donation to his campaign right now?
Rev. Warnock is leading in the most recent polls, but his path to victory is particularly hard.
That's because the Georgia election is essentially an all-party primary, and there are 21 names on the November 3 ballot.8 If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in November, the top two finishers will compete in a January runoff election.
Rev. Warnock is ahead but bunched tightly together with Sen. Loeffler and Republican Representative Doug Collins, who represents one of the most conservative congressional districts in the country.9
With Rev. Warnock surging, he could reach the very high threshold of 50% on November 3. If he falls short of 50%, he absolutely needs to be in the runoff. If not, Democrats would be locked out of the runoff.
Thanks for all you do.
–Allison, Julia, Ankur, Liia, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Latest Polls: U.S. Senate, Georgia," FiveThirtyEight, accessed October 7, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/145082?t=5&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
2. "Obama endorses Warnock in crowded Georgia Senate race," Associated Press, September 25, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/145083?t=7&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
3. "Team Warnock Endorsements," Reverend Raphael Warnock U.S. Senate, accessed October 7, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/145084?t=9&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
4. "Mitch McConnell's 'Legislative Graveyard' Helping Current Congress to Be the Least Productive in History, Report Says," Newsweek, September 16, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/145085?t=11&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
5. "Stock Trades After Coronavirus Briefing Complicate Loeffler's Reelection Bid," NPR, April 13, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/145074?t=13&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
6. "Loeffler plans to spend $20 million on Georgia Senate campaign," The Hill, December 4, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/145086?t=15&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
7. "The Reverend: Meet Raphael," Reverend Raphael Warnock U.S. Senate, accessed October 7, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/145087?t=17&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
8. "Matt Lieberman faces calls to quit Georgia Senate race as Obama endorses Warnock," The New York Times, September 25, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/145088?t=19&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
9. "Latest Polls: U.S. Senate, Georgia," FiveThirtyEight, accessed October 7, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/145082?t=21&akid=277941%2E10220574%2EUgDPL2
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