Raphael Warnock

Raphael Gamaliel Warnock, born on July 23, 1969, is a prominent American Baptist minister and politician who has been serving as Georgia's junior United States senator since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he took office on the same day as President Joe Biden's inauguration.

Warnock has held the position of senior pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since 2005. Prior to that, he served as the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church. His political journey began with his significant involvement in advocating for the expansion of Medicaid in Georgia as part of the Affordable Care Act.

On January 30, 2020, he declared his candidacy for Georgia's 2020 U.S. Senate special election to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler. After no candidate gained a majority on election day, Warnock faced Loeffler again in a runoff on January 5, 2021, where he emerged victorious by over 93,000 votes. His win, alongside that of Jon Ossoff in the concurrent election, marked a pivotal moment, enabling Democrats to reclaim control of the Senate for the first time since 2012.

Notably, Warnock and Ossoff are the first Democrats to represent Georgia in the Senate since Zell Miller in 2000. Additionally, Warnock made history as the first African American senator from Georgia and the first Black Democrat elected from a Southern state. He successfully secured reelection in 2022, defeating Republican challenger Herschel Walker.