Raphael Gamaliel Warnock (/ˈrɑːfiɛlˈwɔːrnɒk/RAH-fee-el WOR-nok) (born July 23, 1969) is an American pastor and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he assumed office on January 20, 2021.[1][2]
Since 2005, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church.[3] He was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church until 2005.[4] Warnock came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act.
On January 30, 2020, Warnock announced his candidacy in Georgia's 2020 United States Senate special election, seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler.[5] No candidate received a majority of the vote on election day, so Warnock faced Loeffler again in a January 5, 2021, runoff, which he won by more than 93,000 votes.[6] With his and Jon Ossoff's victories, the Democratic Party won control of the Senate for the first time since 2014.[7]
Warnock and Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000.[8] Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate and the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate by a former state of the Confederacy.[9]
Early life and education
Warnock was born in Savannah, Georgia, on July 23, 1969.[10] He grew up in public housing as the eleventh of twelve children born to Verlene and Jonathan Warnock, both Pentecostal pastors.[11] His father served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he learned automobile mechanics and welding, and subsequently opened a small car restoration business where he restored junked cars for resale.[12]
Warnock graduated from Sol C. Johnson High School in 1987,[13] and, having wanted to follow in the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr., attended Morehouse College, from which he graduated cum laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology.[14][15] He credits his participation in the Upward Bound program for making him college-ready, as he was able to enroll in early college courses through Savannah State University.[13][15] He then earned Master of Divinity, Master of Philosophy, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Union Theological Seminary, a school affiliated with Columbia University.[16][17][12]
Religious work
Warnock with John Lewis at a "Souls to the Polls" event. He would later officiate Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church.[18]
In the 1990s, Warnock served as the youth pastor and then assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York.[19][20] While Warnock was pastor at Abyssinian, the church declined to hire workfare recipients as part of organized opposition to then-mayor Rudy Giuliani's workfare program.[21] The church also hosted Fidel Castro on October 22, 1995, while Warnock was the youth pastor there. There is no evidence Warnock was involved in that decision. His campaign, during the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia, refused to say whether Warnock attended the event.[22]
In the 2000s, Warnock was senior pastor at Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Warnock and an assistant minister were arrested and charged with obstructing a police investigation into suspected child abuse at a summer camp run by Warnock's church, Douglas Memorial Community Church. The police report called Warnock "extremely uncooperative and disruptive". Warnock had demanded that the counselors have lawyers present when being interviewed by police.[23] The charges were later dropped with the deputy state's attorney's acknowledgment that it had been a "miscommunication", adding that Warnock had aided the investigation and that prosecution would be a waste of resources.[24][25] Warnock said he was merely asserting that lawyers should be present during the interviews[26] and that he had intervened to ensure that an adult was present while a juvenile suspect was being questioned.[27]
In 2005, Warnock became senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr.'s former congregation; he is the fifth and the youngest person to serve as Ebenezer's senior pastor since its founding.[13][28][29] Warnock has stated that he will continue in the post while serving in the Senate.[30]
As pastor, Warnock advocated for clemency for Troy Davis, who was executed in 2011.[31] In 2013, he delivered the benediction at the public prayer service at the second inauguration of Barack Obama.[32] After Fidel Castro died in 2016, Warnock told his church to pray for the Cuban people, calling Castro's legacy "complex, kind of like America's legacy is complex".[22] In March 2019, Warnock hosted an interfaith meeting on climate change at his church, featuring Al Gore and William Barber II.[33]
In July 2020, Warnock presided at Representative John Lewis's funeral at Ebenezer Church.[34][18]
On Easter Sunday 2021, Warnock's Twitter account tweeted, "The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves." Some conservative Christians and political commenters criticized the tweet, including Benjamin Watson, Allie Beth Stuckey, and Jenna Ellis, who called it "heretical". The tweet was deleted that afternoon, with a spokesperson for Warnock saying, "the tweet was posted by staff and was not approved" but declining to say whether it reflected Warnock's beliefs.[35][36]
Political activism
Warnock with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in 2009
Warnock came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leader in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state.[37] In March 2014, Warnock led a sit-in at the Georgia State Capitol to press state legislators to accept the expansion of Medicaid offered by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[38] He and other leaders were arrested during the protest.[38][39] Warnock also actively campaigned for Georgia Democrats to increase outreach to low-income communities.[40] In 2015, Warnock considered running in the 2016 election for the United States Senate seat held by Johnny Isakson as a member of the Democratic Party.[41] He opted not to run.[42][43]
From June 2017 to January 2020, Warnock chaired the New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan organization focused on increasing voter registration.[44][28]
Warnock supports expanding the Affordable Care Act and has called for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.[45][37] He also supports increasing COVID-19-relief funding.[46] A proponent of abortion rights and gay marriage, he has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood.[47][48] He opposes the concealed carry of firearms, saying that religious leaders do not want guns in places of worship.[49] Warnock has long opposed the death penalty.[50]
U.S. Senate
Elections
2020–21
Main article: 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia
Warnocks's U.S. Senate campaign logo
In January 2020, Warnock decided to run in the 2020 special election for the United States Senate seat held by Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed after Johnny Isakson's resignation.[51] He was endorsed by Democratic senators Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, Sherrod Brown, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jeff Merkley, Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders, Brian Schatz, and Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Stacey Abrams, and former presidents Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter.[52][28][53][54][55] Several players of the Atlanta Dream, a WNBA team Loeffler co-owned at the time, wore shirts endorsing Warnock in response to controversial comments Loeffler made about the Black Lives Matter movement.[56]
The closing argument of Warnock's campaign focused on the $2,000 stimulus payments that he and Ossoff would approve if they were elected, giving Democrats a Senate majority.[57][58]
In the January 5 runoff election, Warnock defeated Loeffler with 51% of the popular vote. With this victory, he made history by becoming the first Black senator from Georgia.[59] On January 7, Loeffler conceded to Warnock.[60] The election result was certified on January 19.[61] Unlike Ossoff, Warnock will have to defend his seat in 2022, when Isakson's term was originally set to expire, in order to win a full six-year term from 2023 to 2029.[62]
2022
Main article: 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia
On January 27, 2021, Warnock announced that he would seek election to a full term in 2022.[63] Since no candidate received a majority of the vote in the general election on November 8, 2022, he will face Republican nominee Herschel Walker in a runoff election on December 6, 2022.[64]
Tenure
Warnock outside his Senate office, shortly after being sworn inSenator Warnock (grey necktie, behind President Biden) during the signing of Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, June 17, 2021
On January 20, 2021, Warnock was sworn into the United States Senate in the 117th Congress by Vice President Kamala Harris.[65][66][67]
Warnock voted to convict former president Donald Trump for his role in inciting the Capitol riots on February 13, 2021.[68]
On March 5, 2021, he co-sponsored an amendment to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, along with 29 other Democratic and Independent senators.[69]
On March 17, 2021, he delivered his first speech on the Senate floor, in support of the passage of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.[70]
In September 2021, Warnock worked together with Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Republican senator from Mississippi, to introduce legislation designating September 19 to September 25 as Gold Star Families Remembrance Week nationwide, to honor sacrifices made by families of servicemen who died serving the United States; the legislation passed the Senate unanimously.[71]
Warnock worked together with senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, to introduce legislation to prioritize the building of Interstate 14 connecting Augusta, Macon and Columbus in Georgia to Texas; Warnock stated that the interstate would be "helpful for our military installations" and "for the economy in this region".[72] The prioritization was ultimately approved within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed in November 2021, with the interstate slated to also pass through Midland–Odessa, Texas; Alexandria, Louisiana; Laurel, Mississippi; and Montgomery, Alabama.[73]
In January 2022, when former senator from Georgia, Johnny Isakson, a Republican, passed away, Warnock introduced a Senate resolution to honor Isakson, which was enacted with bipartisan support, while commenting that Isakson was "a patriot, a public servant", and "he knew how to show up for people".[74][75]
Committee assignments
Warnock has been assigned to the following committees for the 117th United States Congress:[76]
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade (Chair)
Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Local Food Systems, and Food Safety and Security
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation
Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband
Subcommittee on Space and Science
Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection (Chair)
Warnock speaking at a press conference on the COVID-19 relief bill in 2021.
As a U.S. senator, Warnock has embraced a progressive agenda.[79] As of June 2022, Warnock had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 95.5% of the time.[80]
Abortion
Warnock has described himself as a "pro-choice pastor".[81]
In December 2020, during Warnock's Senate campaign, a group of 25 Black ministers wrote him an open letter asking him to reconsider his abortion stance, calling it "contrary to Christian teachings" and saying abortion disproportionately affects African Americans. The Warnock campaign responded with a statement, writing that "Warnock believes a patient's room is too small a place for a woman, her doctor, and the US government and that these are deeply personal health care decisions – not political ones."[82]
Warnock called the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade "misguided" and "devastating for women and families in Georgia and nationwide."[83]
Agriculture
Warnock is the main sponsor of S.278 - Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act of 2021.[84] The bill would provide assistance to historically disaffected minority groups in the agriculture sector.[85]
Warnock worked with Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama towards reducing barriers to trade for peanut exports, in an attempt to assist Georgia's peanut farmers.[86][87][88]
Capital punishment and criminal justice
Warnock opposes the death penalty. He unsuccessfully attempted to stop death row inmate Troy Davis's execution.[89]
Gun control
Warnock received a grade of "F" from the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund during his Senate campaign. The NRA accused him of supporting the criminalization of private gun transfers and banning standard issue magazines, and endorsed Loeffler.[90] In 2014, Warnock gave a sermon in which he criticized Georgia's gun laws, saying that "somebody decided that they had the bright idea to pass a piece of legislation that would allow guns and concealed weapons to be carried in churches. Have you ever been to a church meeting?... Whoever thought of that had never been to a church meeting."[91]
Immigration
Warnock criticized Trump's "shithole countries" comment in 2018 and his subsequent signing of a proclamation honoring Martin Luther King Jr., saying, "I would argue that a proclamation without an apology is hypocrisy. There is no redemption without repentance and the president of the United States needs to repent."[92]
Warnock also has supported keeping Title 42 expulsions, saying, "We need assurances that we have security at the border and that we protect communities on this side of the border."[93]
LGBT rights
Warnock supports the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.[94]
Minimum wage
Warnock supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.[95][96]
Supreme Court
Warnock twice declined to answer when asked whether he supported "packing the Supreme Court" by adding additional justices during a December 2020 debate.[97]
Voting rights
In his maiden speech on the U.S. Senate floor, Warnock said one of his primary goals upon assuming office was to oppose voting restrictions and support federal voting reforms.[98] He has said that passing legislation to expand voting rights is important enough to end the Senate filibuster.[79][99]
On March 17, 2021, Warnock said in a Senate floor speech that voting rights were under attack at a rate not seen since the Jim Crow era.[100][101] On April 20, 2021, Warnock and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in favor of passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and For the People Act. He was again critical of the new election laws passed in his home state, calling it a "full-fledged assault on voting rights, unlike anything we seen since the era of Jim Crow."[102] He is not opposed to voter ID laws, but criticizes them when they discriminate against certain groups.[103][104]
Welfare
Warnock opposed New York mayor Rudy Giuliani's workfare reforms while he was assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church. In 1997, he told The New York Times, "We are worried that workfare is being used to displace other workers who receive respectable compensation... We are concerned that poor people are being put into competition with other poor people, and in that respect, we think workfare is a hoax".[105]
Personal life
Warnock lives in Atlanta.[106] He married Oulèye Ndoye in a public ceremony on February 14, 2016; the couple had held a private ceremony in January.[14][107] They have two children. The couple separated in November 2019, and their divorce was finalized in 2020.[19]
In March 2020, when Warnock and Ndoye were going through divorce proceedings, Ndoye accused Warnock of running over her foot with his car during a verbal argument; Warnock denied the accusation.[108] According to a Atlanta Police Department report, after Warnock called police to the scene, Ndoye was reluctant to show her foot to the responding police officer, who "did not see any signs that Ms. Ouleye’s foot was ran over"; medical professionals then arrived at the scene, but were "not able to locate any swelling, redness, or bruising or broken bones" on Ndoye's foot.[109] Police did not charge Warnock with any crimes regarding the incident.[110]
In February 2022, Ndoye asked the court to modify their child custody agreement, granting her "additional custody of their two young children so she can complete a Harvard University program", and for a recalculation of child support payments.[111]
Electoral history
U.S. Senate
2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia[112]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
Raphael Warnock
1,617,035
32.90
Republican
Kelly Loeffler (incumbent)
1,273,214
25.91
Republican
Doug Collins
980,454
19.95
Democratic
Deborah Jackson
324,118
6.60
Democratic
Matt Lieberman
136,021
2.77
Democratic
Tamara Johnson-Shealey
106,767
2.17
Democratic
Jamesia James
94,406
1.92
Republican
Derrick Grayson
51,592
1.05
Democratic
Joy Felicia Slade
44,945
0.91
Republican
Annette Davis Jackson
44,335
0.90
Republican
Kandiss Taylor
40,349
0.82
Republican
Wayne Johnson (withdrawn)
36,176
0.74
Libertarian
Brian Slowinski
35,431
0.72
Democratic
Richard Dien Winfield
28,687
0.58
Democratic
Ed Tarver
26,333
0.54
Independent
Allen Buckley
17,954
0.37
Green
John Fortuin
15,293
0.31
Independent
Al Bartell
14,640
0.30
Independent
Valencia Stovall
13,318
0.27
Independent
Michael Todd Greene
13,293
0.27
Total votes
4,914,361
100.0
2021 United States Senate special election in Georgia runoff[113]
Warnock, Raphael G. (December 2013). The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness. New York: NYU Press. ISBN9780814794463. OCLC844308880.
Warnock, Raphael G. (June 2022). A Way Out of No Way. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN9780593491546.[114][115]
Brack, Naomii (November 19, 2020). "Raphael G. Warnock (1969- )". BlackPast.org. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
Martin, Jonathan; Fausset, Richard (January 6, 2021). "Warnock beats Loeffler in Georgia Senate race". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021. The victory is a landmark breakthrough for African-Americans in politics. Mr. Warnock becomes the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from the Deep South since reconstruction.
"Warnock, Raphael G."Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
"Ministers impeded probe, police allege". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. Associated Press. August 4, 2002. p.B5. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
Dewan, Shaila (January 5, 2021). "Georgia Runoffs Live Updates: Warnock Beats Loeffler". The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.: "Warnock has told church members that if he wins, he intends to keep his position preaching at Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta[.]"
"Elizabeth Warren". Facebook. June 15, 2020. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2020. As a champion for fair wages, Reverend Raphael Warnock has stood up for working families for years. I'm proud to endorse him because I know with him in the Senate, Georgians will have a leader with the courage and conviction to put working families first.
Poole, Shelia (February 16, 2016). "A look at the wedding of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Ouleye Ndoye". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2020. The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Ouleye Ndoye were wed publicly on Valentine's Day at the Auburn Avenue church. They initially wed in a private ceremony last month in Danforth Chapel on the campus of Morehouse College, Warnock’s alma mater.
Deere, Stephen; Bluestein, Greg (March 7, 2020). "Warnock, wife involved in dispute". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
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