Democrat Jon Ossoff projected to win Georgia Senate runoff

Washington, Jan 7 Democrat Jon Ossoff is on track to defeat Republican incumbent David Perdue in the US Senate runoff in the state of Georgia, which would the Democratic Party control of the upper chamber, multiple media outlets have projected.

On Wednesday, NBC News, CNN and ABC News projected Ossoff to be the winner in the second of the two Georgia Senate runoffs, reports Xinhua news agency.

In the other race, a special election runoff, Democrat Raphael Warnock has been projected to win against incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler.

Ossoff's win would allow Democrats to split the 100-seat Senate 50-50 with Republicans, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be in a position to cast the tie-breaking vote.

With Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate, President-elect Joe Biden would have more support in the Congress, giving his administration more power to manoeuver when rolling out its policies.

With Democrat Raphael Warnock having been projected to win against incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, Democrats earlier on Wednesday declared victory in two Senate runoffs in Georgia, while their Republicans opponents hadn't conceded.

Biden, in a tweet, said he called Warnock and Ossoff Wednesday morning to congratulate them on their "hard-fought campaigns".

"Georgia voters delivered a resounding message yesterday: they want action on the crises we face and they want it right now. Together, we'll get it done," said the President-elect.

Ossoff, in his response, thanked the Biden for his call, saying in a tweet: "I'm looking forward to working with you to get financial relief directly to the people, beat COVID-19, and build a healthier, more prosperous, more just America for all."

In the presidential election on November 3, 2020, Biden won Georgia with a narrow margin, relying on the state's shifting demographics and reinforced support from African-American voters.

( With inputs from IANS )