Dems Beat Anti-LGBTQ Lawmakers, Recapture Senate
Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff oust pair of Republicans in Georgia runoff contests
BY MATT TRACY
Democrats recaptured
control of the United
States Senate after Raphael
Warnock and Jon
Ossoff pulled off critical victories
over anti-LGBTQ Senators Kelly
Loeffl er and David Perdue in a pair
of Senate runoffs.
The hotly contested races came
just two weeks before President-
Elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on
January 20. The victories will provide
the incoming administration
and Democratic lawmakers a major
boost in their bids to unravel the
damage infl icted by President Donald
Trump on marginalized communities
including LGBTQ folks,
people of color, women, and religious
minorities, and others in the
middle of a prolonged pandemic.
Ossoff wound up beating Perdue
by more than a point, while Warnock
fi nished two points ahead of
Loeffl er.
Warnock will become the fi rst
Black US senator from Georgia and
the 33-year-old Ossoff is poised to
become the fi rst Jewish US senator
from the state and the youngest
sitting lawmaker in the upper
chamber. Those historic distinctions
were made even more notable
after Loeffl er was caught running
racist political ads that darkened
Warnock’s skin and Perdue ran
ads that distorted Ossoff’s face,
drawing charges of anti-Semitism.
While Democrats are celebrating
the gains on a broader level — and
the ousting of Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell — they also
managed to topple two specifi c lawmakers
who would have undoubtedly
obstructed progress time and
again if they gained re-election.
Loeffl er has become a major
player in the emerging nationwide
movement to ban transgender athletes
from sports and, along with
Perdue, has earned praise from
anti-LGBTQ groups. Both lawmakers
also cast votes confi rming
anti-LGBTQ Supreme Court
Justice Amy Coney Barrett and
opposed the Affordable Care Act,
among other blemishes.
Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock at a campaign rally on January 4.
Republican Senators Kelly Loeffl er and David Perdue of Georgia.
As the remaining votes were being
counted, some LGBTQ groups
and leaders celebrated the wins for
Democrats on January 6.
“We hope that today’s outcome
ushers in a new day when the legislative
and executive branches
can work together to make life
easier, safer and more fair for
people — whether it comes to access
to healthcare, racial justice,
or equality for LGBTQ people and
everyone living with HIV,” Lambda
Legal CEO Kevin Jennings said in
a written statement.
Human Rights Campaign president
Alphonso David congratulated
Ossoff and Warnock on Twitter January
6, praising Warnock for running
a campaign “committed to the
dignity and equality of all Georgians”
and commending Ossoff for running
“a dynamic, inspiring campaign.”
Kierra Johnson, the incoming
executive director of the National
LGBTQ Task Force, said in a written
statement that she is “thrilled
REUTERS/ JONATHAN ERNST
PHOTO REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST
that two Senate candidates who
strongly support LGBTQ equality
have carried the day.”
“The National LGBTQ Task
Force pledges to work with Senators
elect Reverend Raphael Warnock
and Jon Ossoff to pass the
Equality Act as we continue to advocate
for racial, economic, gender,
reproductive justice and equity for
all,” Johnson said.
However, even as Democrats recaptured
control of the upper chamber,
they could very well encounter
roadblocks because they only have
a razor-thin advantage — the Senate
would be split 50/50 and Vice
President-Elect Kamala Harris will
be required to break ties — and the
party will likely need every vote to
advance important initiatives.
There are already some moderate
Democratic lawmakers that
could stand in the way of crucial,
long-stalled legislation such as the
Equality Act, which would build
on the June Supreme Court decision
POLITICS
— which established non-discrimination
protections for LGBTQ
individuals in employment — by
amending Title VII of the 1964
Civil Rights Act to extend LGBTQ
protections beyond employment.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin,
a conservative Democrat,
could be a major roadblock on
that front. He has a record of opposing
the Equality Act and samesex
marriage, and in 2010 he was
the only Senate Democrat to reject
a provision to repeal the ban on
queer service members.
Ossoff and Warnock, on the other
hand, have explicitly supported
the Equality Act, though they have
also taken moderate stances on
other issues, including healthcare.
They do not support Medicare for
All, but both have voiced a willingness
to embrace the centrist approach
of a public option.
Still, Ossoff and Warnock have
vowed to advance other causes, such
as raising the federal minimum
wage, banning private prisons, and
re-establishing voting rights. Democrats
are — for now — more hopeful
about the next couple years.
“Georgia’s voters delivered a resounding
message yesterday: They
want action on the crises we face
and they want it right now,” Biden
said in a written statement on
January 6. “On COVID-19, on economic
relief, on climate, on racial
justice, on voting rights, and so
much more. They want us to move,
but move together.”
He added, “It looks like we will
emerge from yesterday’s election
with Democratic leadership in the
House and the Senate, and of course
I’m pleased that we will be able to
work with Speaker Pelosi and a Majority
Leader Schumer. But I’m also
just as determined today as I was
yesterday to work with people in
both parties — at the federal, state,
and local levels — to get big things
done for our nation. I have long said
that the bipartisan COVID-19 relief
bill passed in December was just a
down payment. We need urgent action
on what comes next, because
the COVID-19 crisis hits red states
and blue states alike.”
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