“Some might ask why a pastor thinks he should serve in the Senate,” Warnock said. “Well, I’ve committed my whole life to service and helping people realize their highest potential. I’ve always thought that my impact doesn’t stop at the church door. That’s actually where it starts.”
Warnock is eyeing the seat currently held by Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), a business executive who was appointed to the post by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp following the retirement of Sen. Johnny Isakson (R).
Democrats are eyeing Georgia as a top 2020 target in their bid to retake the Senate. Since the race would constitute a special election to finish the final two years of Isakson’s term, it would not include a primary, allowing multiple candidates of both parties to run for the position. If no candidate receives more than a majority of the vote, the top two candidates would proceed to a runoff in January 2021.
Warnock’s announcement came a day after Rep. Douglas A. Collins (R-Ga.), a top defender of President Trump, confirmed his candidacy for the seat, a move that divided Republicans.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee immediately made clear that it would support Loeffler and suggested that Collins’s entrance into the race will hurt the prospects of other Republicans on the ticket and put Georgia in play in the presidential election.
Besides Warnock, two other Democrats are running: Ed Tarver, a former federal prosecutor in Georgia under President Barack Obama; and Matt Lieberman, the son of former senator and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
