Georgia’s US Senate race between Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Hershel Walker is headed for a runoff after neither candidate achieved 50% of the vote.
Herschel Walker (left) and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock are headed for a runoff election to determine the US Senate winner. The all-important runoff will be held on Dec. 6. (Image: Casino.org)
Georgia’s election law requires a runoff to be held when no candidate obtains at least 50% of the vote. The runoff involves only the top two vote-getters in the general election in order to assure that a 50% majority is reached by one of the candidates in the runoff.
Georgia’s runoff to determine who occupies its junior US Senate seat come January will be held on Dec. 6. With the seat possibly being the tiebreaking vote in the Senate balance of power between Democrats and Republicans, reports suggest more than $200 million could be poured into the high-stakes runoff.
Early bettors for the election showdown are backing Warnock. On PredictIt, Warnock’s shares on the political betting exchange are trading at 75 cents. Walker is a considerable underdog at just 30 cents.
Democratic Wakeup Call
Tuesday’s 2022 midterms were supposed to be a “red wave” where Republicans took considerable control of both chambers of Congress. But for an array of possible reasons, the red wave was more of a ripple.
Though the GOP will likely assume power in the US House of Representatives, the Senate remains up for grabs.
Votes in Nevada are still being tallied. But former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt’s (R) lead against Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto continues to dwindle as mail-in ballots continue to be counted. The majority of the mail-in vote has been strongly in Cortez Masto’s favor.
If Democrats are able to keep Cortez Masto in DC, as well as Sen. Mark Kelly in Arizona where votes are also still being counted, the Senate makeup for the 118th Congress would come to 50 Democrats to 49 Republicans. The final seat would be determined in Georgia.
The Democrats’ surprising midterms performance, highlighted by Senator-elect John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, should rile up Democratic Georgians to come out in full force to make sure Warnock is reelected and the Senate remains in the party’s control.
If Democrats don’t reach 51 seats and the Senate is split 50-50, as it currently is, the tiebreaking vote would continue to be the sitting vice president. That would only heighten the importance of the 2024 presidential election.
Biden Back
The midterms were seen as a victory for President Joe Biden, whose chances of running again in 2024 have consequently improved. Biden said yesterday it’s his intent to seek a second four-year term in the White House.
Tuesday was also a good night for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The rising star could be the new face of the Republican Party. Bettors certainly think so.
The latest odds suggest DeSantis is the 2024 favorite. PredictIt bettors give DeSantis about a 30% chance of winning the White House in two years. Former President Donald Trump is next at 28% and Biden is third at 25%.
The post Georgia Runoff Could Decide Senate Power, Bettors Back Incumbent Sen. Warnock appeared first on Casino.org.
