Obama says John Lewis is "surely smiling down on his beloved Georgia" after runoff election
Former President Barack Obama congratulated Senator-elect Raphael Warnock on Wednesday, following the reverend's projected win against incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler in Tuesday's Senate runoff election in Georgia. The other race, between incumbent GOP Senator David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff, was too close to call Wednesday morning.
"My friend John Lewis is surely smiling down on his beloved Georgia this morning, as people across the state carried forward the baton that he and so many others passed down to them," Mr. Obama said in a statement.
Rep. Lewis had attended Warnock's church, the Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Atlanta. The reverend spoke at Lewis' funeral there on July 30.
In his statement, Mr. Obama also credited the state's former House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, who helped register hundreds of thousands of new Georgia voters, mostly in communities of color.
"While we're still waiting on final results in the other runoff, it's clear that last night's showing, alongside President-Elect Biden's November victory in Georgia, is a testament to the power of the tireless and often unheralded work of grassroots organizing and the resilient, visionary leadership of Stacey Abrams," he said.
"Georgia's first Black senator will make the chamber more reflective of our country as a whole and open the door for a Congress that can forego gridlock for gridlock's sake to focus instead on the many crises facing our nation — pandemic relief for struggling families, voting rights, protecting our planet, and more," he continued.
Mr. Obama urged voters, who turned out in record numbers, to remain politically active, especially in local elections.
"From police reforms to gerrymandering decisions, many levers of real and lasting progress are found at the state and local levels," he said. "In recent years, our institutions, our democracy, and truth itself have been greatly tested by those who've chosen to prioritize personal gain or political ambition over our democratic principles. And even a good election will not eliminate those threats."
Mr. Obama said that it will be crucial that the rest of the country follow in Georgia's footsteps to ensure President-elect Joe Biden's success.
"If we want to protect the gains we've made, achieve even more progress in the years to come, and reinforce the foundations of self-governance on which our country rests, there's no better path to follow than the one forged by the determined, organized, and confidently hopeful people of Georgia," he said.