Democrat Jon Ossoff declared victory over current Republican Senator David Perdue on Wednesday morning in the second round of the Senate in Georgia – although the election has not yet been formally called.
“It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve in the United States Senate. Thank you for the trust and confidence you have placed in me, ”said Ossoff in a video broadcast on YouTube.
“Whether you were for me or against me, I will be for you in the United States Senate. I will serve all the people of the state, I will give everything I have to ensure that Georgia’s interests are represented in the US Senate, ”he said.
Perdue has not yet given in, as the two candidates remain tied.
As of Wednesday morning, Ossoff led with just over 16,000 votes, or 0.4%, which would trigger a recount.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, Perdue’s campaign predicted that he would emerge victorious when all votes were counted.
“We will mobilize all available resources and exhaust all legal resources to ensure that all legally issued bills are properly counted. We believe that in the end Senator Perdue will emerge victorious ”, states the statement.
Ossoff won the victory hours after Reverend Raphael Warnock was declared the winner against Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler.
If Ossoff’s victory is maintained, it will guarantee a 50-50 split in the Senate, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris ready to cast any tiebreaker votes.
Ossoff trailed Perdue on Tuesday, but recovered when the votes sent by mail from Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold, were counted, giving him a slight advantage of just over 9,000 votes.
Ossoff, aged 33, would become the youngest person elected to the Senate since Joe Biden’s victory when he was 28 in 1972.
In declaring victory, Ossoff said he would work to provide help to people in Georgia devastated by the coronavirus.
“I will work in the United States Senate to support a robust public health response so that we can defeat this virus … and to hasten direct economic relief for people who need help now,” he said.
“This campaign has been about health, jobs and justice for people in this state, for all people in this state, and they will be my guiding principles while serving this state in the U.S. Senate, ensuring that every Georgian is in excellent health care, no our wealth matters. “
Biden defeated President Trump in Georgia by almost 12,000 votes on November 3.