Summary
Current Position: US Senator since 2021
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: Pastor from 2005 – 2021
Other positions: Chair, Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade:
Chair, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005. He came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act. Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate, and the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state.
OnAir Post: Raphael Warnock – GA
News
About
Source: Government Page
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock grew up in Kayton Homes public housing in Savannah, born one of twelve brothers and sisters raised in coastal Georgia.
His father, a veteran, small businessman and preacher, grew up in Burke and Screven County, GA. Senator Reverend Warnock’s mother grew up in Waycross, GA, where she spent summers picking tobacco and cotton. A graduate of Savannah’s Sol C. Johnson High School, Senator Raphael Warnock’s mother and extended family still live in the Savannah area.
Senator Warnock is a proud graduate of Morehouse College; after graduating from Morehouse, he went on to earn a PhD and begin his career ordained in the ministry. For over 16 years, Senator Warnock has served as Senior Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the former pulpit of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is the youngest pastor selected to serve in that leadership role at the historic church.
Senator Warnock was elected to the United States Senate on January 5, 2021, in a special election runoff for the term ending January 3, 2023, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Johnny Isakson, a seat previously held by appointed Senator Kelly Loeffler. He took the oath of office on January 20, 2021.
Currently, Senator Warnock serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, as well as the Special Committee on Aging.
Personal
Full Name: Raphael Gamaliel Warnock
Gender: Male
Family: Divorced: Ouyele Ndoye; 2 Children
Birth Date: 07/23/1969
Birth Place: Savannah, GA
Home City: Savannah, GA
Religion: Baptist
Source: Vote Smart
Education
MDiv/MPhil, Union Theological Seminary
PhD, Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary
BA, Psychology, Morehouse College, 1991
Political Experience
Senator, United States Senate, Georgia, 2021-present
Candidate, United States Senate, Georgia, 2022
Professional Experience
Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church, 2005-present
Former Youth Pastor/Assistant Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church of New York City
Former Senior Pastor, Douglas Memorial Community Church of Baltimore
Former Intern, Sixth Avenue Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama
Offices
Atlanta
Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center
100 Alabama Street SW, Suite 3R8
Atlanta, GA 30303
(770) 694-7828
Fax: (770) 953-2678
Washington, D.C.
Russell Senate Office Building
Suite 416
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3643
Contact
Email: Government Page
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Election Results
To learn more, go to this wikipedia section in this post.
Finances
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
Currently, Senator Warnock serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, as well as the Special Committee on Aging.
New Legislation
Issues
Source: Campaign page
Democracy & Governance
VOTING RIGHTS
Ensuring Every Vote Is Counted
After the 2020 election, our state became ground zero for voter suppression. With partisan gerrymandering, long lines in minority communities, polling place closures, and voter purges, the state of Georgia has followed every strategy in the voter suppression playbook. In 2021, Georgia’s governor signed S.B. 202 into law — a sweeping voter suppression law designed to build new barriers between Georgians and the polls. Senator Warnock has called this law, and laws like it, “Jim Crow in new clothes”.
In the spirit of his mentor and parishioner, the late Congressman John Lewis, Reverend Warnock understands that our vote is our voice, and that the ability to use our voice is a matter of human dignity. Whether through vote-by-mail or in-person voting, all Georgia voters must have the opportunity to use their voice at the ballot box. He believes that the best way to honor John Lewis’ legacy is not to simply offer pious platitudes, but to get busy restoring the Voting Rights Act that was gutted by the Supreme Court. Our elections must be fair, open, and safe for every eligible citizen, and Americans should never have to choose between their life and their vote.
Sen. Warnock’s work to protect the right to vote:
Is leading the fight to secure voting rights in Congress, beginning with the delivery of a historic maiden floor speech on the very topic
Introduced the Preventing Election Subversion Act, which would combat voter suppression efforts
Belongs to a core group of Senators helping to push the Freedom to Vote Act over the finish line
Has continued to call on members of both parties to prioritize federal voting rights protections
WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE
In the Senate, Reverend Warnock has worked with his colleagues—on both sides of the aisle—to improve the lives of Georgians living in every corner of the state. Reverend Warnock will always pull up a chair to the negotiating table with representatives from all political backgrounds if it means delivering for hardworking Georgia families.
Reverend Warnock’s bipartisan work for Georgia in the Senate:
- Joined Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville to help Georgia peanut farmers overcome trade barriers and tariff obstacles
- Led a resolution in the Senate to honor his predecessor, the late Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson
- Worked with Senator Braun to introduce the RURAL Act, a measure to keep Georgia railroad workers safe
- Teamed up with Texas Senator Ted Cruz to prioritize the Highway I-14, a project that will better connect Georgia’s military installations
- Worked with Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith to designate a week in September to honoring the sacrifices made by families of U.S. military service members who lost their lives in service to this nation
- Teamed up with Senator Marco Rubio to introduce a bipartisan bill to protect children from health threats caused by lead hazards in housing
- Joined Senator Tim Scott to push for more federal funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
- Worked with Senators Marco Rubio and John Kennedy to fight for legislation to protect small businesses from security breaches and more!
Economy & Jobs
AGRICULTURE
Protecting And Growing Georgia’s Farm Economy
Georgia is one of the nation’s leading producers in everything from chickens to peanuts to blueberries and our world famous peaches. We need leaders like Reverend Warnock who will defend farmers and fight on their behalf in Washington. He believes that we need consistent policies that promote equity and accommodate the uncertainty our farmers deal with and the diversity of our state’s products.
As one of the most diverse states in the nation, Georgia is home to a significant number of African-American farmers who are critical to the agricultural economy. Reverend Warnock believes that we should level the playing field for Black and minority farmers by expanding access to capital for equipment and financial resources and ending discriminatory policies at the federal level that limit opportunities.
In the Senate, Reverend Warnock has fought for the ag community by
- Fighting to include federal debt forgiveness for all of Georgia’s small farmers (Relief for Small Farmers Act) in reconciliation
- Joining with House Agriculture Committee Chairmen Sanford Bishop and Rep. David Scott to push USDA on support for cotton merchandisers regarding COVID-19 losses
- Leading a bipartisan effort with Senator Tommy Tuberville asking USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative to work together on European Union non-tariff trade barriers for our peanut farmers
- Partnering with Senator Bill Cassidy to introduce the Disaster Reforestation Act to help our forest landowners recover after a natural disaster
JOBS
Rebuilding An Economy That Works For Everyone
Reverend Warnock knows the global pandemic fundamentally impacted the daily lives and economic security of Georgians who were already struggling to get by. His own perspective on economic fairness and the dignity of work is deeply rooted in his upbringing.
Growing up in Savannah’s Kayton Homes public housing, Reverend Warnock had eleven brothers and sisters and learned the value of hard work from his parents. His mother spent summers picking tobacco and cotton, and his father sold junk cars before standing up on Sunday mornings and preaching to poor, ordinary working-class people who themselves felt discarded.
Reverend Warnock recognizes that things have gotten harder for families like his, and for many in Georgia, the American dream has never felt more out of reach. That’s why he believes that we need to rebuild an economy that works for everyone by creating good paying jobs, protecting the dignity of work, and fighting for fair wages and equitable employment practices in the workplace for all Americans. Fighting for workers also means Senator Warnock will oppose Washington tax breaks that benefit the richest of the rich while leaving behind the poor and working families that need help the most.
Sen. Warnock has worked to create and protect Georgia jobs:
- Helped to facilitate a settlement that will help save more than 2,600 clean energy jobs at SK Battery, an electric battery plant in Commerce, GA
- In Gwinnett County, he met with Latino business owners and toured their businesses to discuss what pandemic recovery has looked like from their perspective
- Re-introduced legislation to protect small businesses from security breaches alongside U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Coons (D-DE), and John Kennedy (R-LA)
- Secured a $2 million federal grant for road and infrastructure improvements to create a new Inland Port in Hall County , a move expected to create nearly 700 jobs for Georgia ports and generate $185 million in private investment for Georgia’s economy.
- Reverend Warnock continues to meet and work with the Georgia Port Authority to ensure they have the federal funding they need to keep Savannah’s port growing, a key job creator in the Savannah area
INFRASTRUCTURE
Building A Foundation For Prosperity And Investing In Workers
Reverend Warnock believes it is time to reinvest in America’s workers. Our fractured infrastructure has had real consequences for ordinary people who rely on roads to get to work, pipes for clean drinking water, and bridges to connect them to their neighbors. Repairing our crumbling roads and bridges, reinvesting in a clean economy based on green transportation and energy infrastructure, and investing in broadband that will connect people to the global economy will help Georgia businesses flourish, help workers get to jobs, and help consumers get to services.
In the Senate, Reverend Warnock worked with Republicans and Democrats in the Senate to secure wide-reaching investment in Georgia’s physical infrastructure, including:
- $1.3 billion for public transit
- $100 million for broadband
- $135 million for electric vehicle charging stations
- $8.9 billion for repairing Georgia’s roads and highways and more.
Environment & Energy
CLIMATE
Stewardship Of Our Children’s Planet
The flooding and extreme weather we have seen in coastal Georgia and across the South are sobering reminders of how devastating climate change can be in our daily lives. Reverend Warnock believes we must accept the science, invest in infrastructure, and combat the climate crisis that is already at our door. Climate change is a moral issue and we can act on the consensus that already exists among Americans by ignoring Washington special interests and putting effective, common sense policies in place.
Reverend Warnock’s emphasis on climate justice is guided by his faith and his understanding that “the Earth is the Lord’s.” He understands that our harm to the planet often causes disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities, and that environmental justice doesn’t just focus on addressing long-term challenges, but everyday problems. That means addressing the lack of access to clean water and air many Black and brown families face, and the higher share of income those families pay in energy bills.
In the Senate, Reverend Warnock has
- Introduced the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act to rapidly boost American solar manufacturing, accelerate the transition to clean energy, and support American energy independence
Health & Education
EDUCATION
Rebuilding The Ladder Of Opportunity For All Our Kids
Reverend Warnock went to Morehouse College on what he calls a “full faith” scholarship – not knowing how he would pay for school, but believing that grit and determination could help him follow his dreams. With the help of a Pell Grant and low-interest student loans, he became the first person to graduate from college in his immediate family, and he knows from experience that education can be a ladder of upward mobility. But Reverend Warnock also understands that grit and determination alone aren’t enough, and that today, things are harder than ever for kids like him trying to climb upward.
Reverend Warnock believes that your access to a good K-12 education shouldn’t depend on your zip code and that the cost of higher education should never be an obstacle to opportunity. He supports robust Pre-K and nutritional programs that will ensure every child gets a fair start, investing in teachers and schools so that they have the resources they need, and student loan forgiveness programs that will make four-year degrees a possibility for anyone who wants to attend college. Reverend Warnock also understands that college isn’t for everyone, and is a strong believer in offering more opportunities like vocational training, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs that will get young people ready for a changing economy.
In the Senate, Reverend Warnock has fought for Georgians by
- Introducing the Clean Commute for Kids Act to help transition much of the nation’s school bus fleet to zero-emission vehicles, which would help protect Georgia children’s health
- This legislation would support production of Georgia-made Blue Bird Buses, assembled and manufactured in Fort Valley, GA
- Prioritizing ways to address student loans, and their disproportionately negative effect on Black and Brown college graduates
- Securing nearly $260 million in funding for HBCUs in the American Rescue Plan
- Fighting for funding for HBCUs through the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act
- Delivering an additional $95 million to support education for Georgia children with disabilities
HEALTHCARE
Reverend Warnock’s belief in affordable health care comes from his understanding of the dignity of human beings and his confidence that courageous, principled leaders can stand up to special interests and make our health care system work better for all. That’s why he’s rejecting corporate PAC money: he knows that for too long, insurance and pharmaceutical companies have had their say in Washington.
Reverend Warnock has been a tireless advocate for Medicaid expansion, which is key to keeping rural hospitals open, making health care accessible and affordable to those who need it most, and improving treatment for victims of addiction. While partisan state actors refuse to take action, Reverend Warnock is leading the effort in Congress to expand access to quality, affordable care for over 646,000 Georgians.
Not too long ago, our state’s elected leaders did everything they could to overturn the Affordable Care Act and take away health care protections for millions of Georgians — in the middle of a pandemic. Reverend Warnock is committed to continue to fight back against efforts to dismantle the law’s protections for the more than 1.8 million Georgians with pre-existing conditions and provisions allowing anyone under the age of 26 to remain on their parent’s insurance.
Reverend Warnock is committed to expanding affordable access to health care, including through a public option and early Medicare buy-in. But he also understands how personal decisions of health care can be, which is why he will never support efforts to take private insurance from those that want to keep it.
With Georgians facing the skyrocketing costs of critical prescription drugs like insulin, Reverend Warnock believes solutions, like allowing the federal government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies on the prices seniors are charged for life-saving medication, will ease this moral crisis. He understands that too often Georgians are forced to choose between paying for prescription drugs or putting food on the table, and he believes the system that makes such a choice necessary is unconscionable and immoral.
Reverend Warnock has worked to expand health care access in Georgia:
- In the American Rescue Plan, Senator Warnock secured $1.3M in federal funds for two health care centers in Macon-Bibb County
- Introduced the Kira Johnson Act to curb the maternal mortality crisis, especially among Black women in Georgia
- Is leading the effort in the Senate to pass a federal Medicaid-like program to cover the 646,000 Georgians who would gain health coverage
Human Rights
LGBTQ+
Equality For LGBTQ+ Communities
Public Safety
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
Ending Mass Incarceration And Giving Everyone A Fair Shot
Reverend Warnock believes that in the Land of the Free, it is a scandal and a scar on the soul of America to imprison people at a higher rate than any other country in the world. The prison population of America is fed by a system that criminalizes poverty, imperils the bodies of its most vulnerable citizens, and incarcerates people of color at disproportionate levels. Only by living up to the twin American promises of liberty for all and equal protection under the law can our nation begin to heal.
Reverend Warnock also believes that it is morally wrong and economically backward to close the doors of social re-entry on the formerly incarcerated. He understands that arrests, even for minor infractions, should not be a barrier for those that have paid their debt to society in prison and can continue to make contributions to their communities after they have served their time. As Senator, Reverend Warnock is fighting for criminal justice reform measures that make sense for Georgia – to move the nation toward justice and away from the harmful, ineffective, and costly policies that have devastated so many Georgia families.
Reverend Warnock also believes we need to responsibly fund the police while reimagining the relationship between police departments and the communities that they serve. In order to ensure accountability and build trust, he understands that we need to invest resources into the training of police officers and into building genuine bonds of community rather than sowing the seeds of distrust. For this relationship, it’s equally critical for communities to trust that the justice system is designed to support them, which is why Reverend Warnock also supports appointing independent prosecutors to handle police-involved shootings.
IMMIGRATION
The United States is and has always been a nation of immigrants. Unfortunately, our broken immigration system harms many Georgians and their families, placing the American Dream out of reach for many seeking a better life in our country. We need comprehensive immigration reform that fixes our broken system, keeps our nation safe, and provides a reasonable path to citizenship.
Reverend Warnock will work to reform our immigration system by fighting to keep families together, end the use of privatized prisons and ensure due process under the law. He will keep our promise to Dreamers, and stand up for thoughtful management and oversight of ICE. He worked to pass hate crime legislation to combat discrimination against immigrant communities and will continue to support peaceful humanitarian policies toward refugees.
NATIONAL SECURITY & DEFENSE
As the son of an Army veteran, Reverend Warnock understands the importance of ensuring that America’s military remains the strongest in the world and keeps our country and its people safe. He will advance America’s values around the world and is committed to supporting the use of diplomacy as a first, best resort, and will speak out against tyrants and dictators.
Georgia is home to 13 military installations that play a critical role in Georgia’s economy. Reverend Warnock is committed to protecting and preserving Georgia’s role in America’s national security strategy by strengthening our economy, workforce, competitiveness, innovation, and democracy.
Sen. Warnock has worked to keep Georgia safe:
- Toured and met with leadership at Fort Gordon, Robins Air Force Base, Dobbins Air Force Base, and other military bases in the state of Georgia
- Met with military families in Camden County to discuss bolstering mental health care services, child care, extending the child tax credit, improving on-base living conditions and more
- Fought for a $100 million authorization for Fort Stewart to improve barracks on base
- Fought for $12.5 million in the National Defense Authorization Act for building new helicopter parking aprons for the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base
- Prayed over and sent off a group of airmen leaving Moody Air Force Base to go to Holloman Air Force Base to help provide protection and service for Afghan refugees resettling in the U.S.
- Joined Senator Jon Ossoff, Rep. Austin Scott, and United States Air Force Acting Secretary John P. Roth for a virtual news conference to announce the Air Force’s plans to bring new operational missions to Robins Air Force Base
- Called for necessary supplemental funds to the National Guard and Capitol Police to cover the unanticipated costs associated with responding to the January 6th insurrection and protect Afghan interpreters who assisted U.S. Armed Forces
As the son of an Army veteran, Reverend Warnock believes it is imperative that elected leaders represent the needs of veterans and military families and boldly advocate on their behalf.
With Georgia being home to over 640,000 veterans and over 90,000 active-duty personnel, reservists, and national guardsmen, it is imperative that its elected leaders represent their needs and boldly advocate on their behalf. Senator Warnock understands the sacred obligation to care for those who have served our country.
He is working to ensure that veterans and their families have a Georgia that they can call home – that welcomes them to a better life as gratitude for their service and sacrifice.
VETERANS & MILITARY FAMILIES
Sen. Warnock’s work on behalf of veterans:
- Introduced Improving Care for Veterans Act, legislation to improve the health and safety of veterans in state Veterans Homes, aimed at reducing infections of COVID-19 and keeping veterans safe. The legislation would improve accountability in Veterans Homes by establishing preventative guidelines and updating public health protections to align their standards with those of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- Secured more than $2.5 million in federal funding to help homeless Georgia veterans through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program
- Introduced legislation, now enacted into law, to address disparities in access to vital Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits experienced by veterans of color
- Visited a community that houses homeless veterans in Savannah
- On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Sen. Warnock shared a moving prayer at the South Fulton firehouse
- Led a bipartisan group of 31 Senators calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct swift and thorough outreach to veterans of the Global War on Terrorism – especially those who served in Afghanistan
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
Wikipedia
[1] (/ˈrɑːfiɛl ˈwɔːrnɒk/ RAH-fee-el WOR-nok; born July 23, 1969) is an American politician and Mainline Protestant minister in the Baptist tradition serving as the junior United States senator from Georgia, a seat he has held since 2021.[a] A member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta‘s Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.[2][3]
Warnock was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church from 2001 to 2005.[4] He came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state under the Affordable Care Act. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate special election in Georgia, defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in a runoff election.[5]
Warnock and Jon Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000.[6][7] Their elections were critical in securing a 50–50 Senate majority for Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.[8] Warnock was a reliable supporter of Joe Biden‘s legislative efforts during his presidency.[9][10] He was reelected to a full term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Herschel Walker.
Warnock is the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate, the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state, and only the second black U.S. senator directly elected from a Southern state, after Tim Scott.[11][12][13]
Early life and education
Warnock was born in Savannah, Georgia, on July 23, 1969.[14] He grew up in public housing as the eleventh of twelve children born to Verlene (née Brooks) and Jonathan Warnock, both Pentecostal pastors.[15][16] 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.[17] His mother picked cotton and tobacco in the summers in Waycross, Georgia, as a teenager and became a pastor.[18]
Warnock graduated from Sol C. Johnson High School in 1987,[19] 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.[20][21] 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.[19][21] He then earned a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, a school affiliated with Columbia University.[22] At Union, Warnock was mentored by James Cone.[23] Warnock continued his studies and earned a Master of Philosophy, and a Doctor of Philosophy in 2006.[24][25][17] In 2014, his dissertation was published as a book, The Divided Mind of the Black Church.[26]
Religious work
| Part a series on |
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Warnock began his ministry as an intern and licentiate at the Sixth Avenue Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama,[28] under the civil rights movement leader John Thomas Porter.[28][29] In the 1990s, he served as youth pastor and then assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York.[30][31] 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.[32] The church also hosted Fidel Castro on October 22, 1995, while Warnock was youth pastor. There is no evidence Warnock was involved in that decision. During the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia, his campaign refused to say whether Warnock attended the event.[33]
In January 2001, Warnock was elected senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland.[34][35] He and an assistant minister were arrested and charged with obstructing a 2002 police investigation into suspected child abuse at a summer camp run by the church. The police report called Warnock “extremely uncooperative and disruptive”. Warnock had demanded that the counselors have lawyers present when being interviewed by police.[36] 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.[37][38] Warnock said he was merely asserting that lawyers should be present during the interviews[39] and that he had intervened to ensure that an adult was present while a juvenile suspect was being questioned.[40] Warnock stepped down as the church’s senior pastor in 2005.[4]
On Father’s Day 2005, Warnock was named senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr.‘s former congregation;[41] he is the fifth and the youngest person to serve as Ebenezer’s senior pastor since its founding.[19][42][43] He has continued in the post while serving in the Senate.[44][45]
As pastor, Warnock advocated for clemency for Troy Davis, who was executed in 2011.[46] In 2013, he delivered the benediction at the public prayer service at the second inauguration of Barack Obama.[47] 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”.[33] In March 2019, Warnock hosted an interfaith meeting on climate change at his church, featuring Al Gore and William Barber II.[48] He presided at Representative John Lewis‘s funeral at Ebenezer Church in July 2020.[49][27]
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 commentators 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.[50][51]
Political activism

Warnock came to prominence in Georgia politics as a leader in the campaign to expand Medicaid in the state.[52] In 2013, he wrote an editorial for the Atlanta Journal Constitution that criticized Governor Nathan Deal for not supporting an integrated prom at the Wilcox County High School.[53] 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.[54][55] He and other leaders were arrested during the protest.[54][56] Warnock also actively campaigned for Georgia Democrats to increase outreach to low-income communities.[57] 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.[58] He opted not to run.[59][60]
From June 2017 to January 2020, Warnock chaired the New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan organization founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams and focused on increasing voter registration.[61][42] The New Georgia Project and its affiliate the New Georgia Project Action Fund secretly campaigned for Abrams in her 2018 gubernatorial campaign in Georgia and for other Democratic political campaigns in the state. It also illegally campaigned for an unsuccessful MARTA referendum in Gwinnett County. In 2025, it admitted to 16 violations of state campaign finance laws related to its illegal partisan activities and was ordered to pay $300,000 by the Georgia State Ethics Commission, the largest fine for campaign finance violations in state history. The New Georgia Project raised and spent millions of dollars in its partisan efforts and failed to disclose its activities or properly register as an independent political committee.[62][63][64]
Warnock supports expanding the Affordable Care Act and has called for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.[65][52] He also supports increasing COVID-19-relief funding.[66] A proponent of abortion rights and gay marriage, he has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood.[67][68] He opposes the concealed carry of firearms, saying that religious leaders do not want guns in places of worship.[69] Warnock has long opposed the death penalty.[70]
United States Senator
Elections
2020–21 Special

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.[71] Stacey Abrams encouraged him to run and coordinated his support from Democratic leadership.[72] 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.[73][42][74][75][76] 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.[77]
The closing argument of Warnock’s campaign focused on the $2,000 stimulus payments that he and Ossoff promised to approve if they were elected and thus gave Democrats a U.S. Senate majority.[78][79]
In the January 5 runoff election, Warnock narrowly defeated Loeffler with 51.04% of the vote. With this victory, he became the first African American to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate, the first black Democratic U.S. senator representing a Southern state, and the first black Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate by a former state of the Confederacy.[11][12][13][80] Warnock and Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000.[6][7] On January 7, Loeffler conceded.[81] The election result was certified on January 19.[82]

2022
On January 27, 2021, Warnock announced that he would seek reelection to a full term in 2022.[83]
Since no candidate received a majority of the vote in the general election on November 8, 2022, Warnock faced Walker in a runoff election on December 6, and won, 51.4% to 48.6%.[84][85] He became the first Georgia Democrat to win reelection to the Senate since Sam Nunn in 1990[86] and the first Deep South Democrat to win reelection to the Senate since Mary Landrieu of Louisiana in 2008.[87]
Tenure

On January 20, 2021, Warnock was sworn into the United States Senate in the 117th Congress by Vice President Kamala Harris alongside newly elected Senator Jon Ossoff and former California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. Warnock was escorted by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia.[88][89][90]
On February 13, 2021, Warnock voted to convict former president Donald Trump of inciting the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[91][92]
On March 5, 2021, Warnock and 29 other Democratic and independent senators co-sponsored an amendment to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.[93]
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.[94]
In January 2022, when Johnny Isakson, a former U.S. senator from Georgia, died, Warnock introduced a Senate resolution to honor Isakson, which was enacted with bipartisan support. Warnock called Isakson “a patriot, a public servant” who “knew how to show up for people”.[95][96]
In October 2022, a bill by Warnock and Senator Jon Ossoff was enacted into law, naming a United States Post Office building in Atlanta, Georgia after John Lewis, who was a U.S. representative for Atlanta until his death in 2020.[97][98]
In September 2023, Warnock was the only Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee to vote against the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, which provides a safe harbor for legal state-level marijuana dispensaries and growers to access federally regulated banks.[99]
Committee assignments
Warnock has been assigned to the following committees for the 117th United States Congress:[100]
Caucuses
Political positions


In April 2021, Politico reported that Warnock, as a U.S. senator, had embraced “a progressive agenda”.[105] As of December 2022, Warnock had voted in line with President Joe Biden‘s stated position 96.5% of the time.[106]
According to GovTrack, for Warnock’s Senate term from 2021 to 2023, he was ranked “most politically right” of all Senate Democrats in the 117th Congress, and was noted to have joined “bipartisan bills the 2nd most often” of all Senate Democrats in the 117th Congress.[107]
Abortion
Warnock has described himself as a “pro-choice pastor”.[108][109]
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 that 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 U.S. government and that these are deeply personal health care decisions – not political ones.”[110]
Warnock called the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade “misguided” and “devastating for women and families in Georgia and nationwide.”[111][112][113]
Agriculture
Warnock was the main sponsor of S.278 – Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act of 2021.[114] The bill would aid historically disaffected minority groups in the agriculture sector.[115] It was introduced alongside Senator Cory Booker‘s Justice for Black Farmers Act.[116]
Warnock worked with Senator Tommy Tuberville to reduce barriers to trade for peanut exports in order to assist peanut farmers in Georgia.[117][118][119]
Capital punishment and criminal justice
Warnock opposes the death penalty.[120] He unsuccessfully attempted to stop the execution of death-row inmate Troy Davis, who had been convicted of the 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia.[120]
Defense
After President Joe Biden recommended in March 2022 that the Air National Guard‘s Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah, Georgia, be closed, Warnock was one of several Georgia lawmakers to oppose the move, calling Biden’s recommendation “bad for Savannah and bad for our national security”; the Appropriations subcommittee of the House of Representatives rejected the recommendation in June 2022.[121]
Warnock supported the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, which provides funding for defense purposes, saying: “Georgia is an important military state … Fort Stewart will get an upgrade in its energy plant to the tune of $22 million. There is also $100 million in this bill for barracks at Fort Stewart. We have to make sure that those who we ask to serve have what they need in order to serve”.[122] The barracks are slated to house over 370 soldiers.[123]
Economy and infrastructure
Warnock worked together with Senator Ted Cruz to introduce legislation to prioritize the building of Interstate 14, connecting Augusta, Macon, and Columbus in Georgia to Texas; Warnock said the interstate would be “helpful for our military installations” and “the economy in this region”.[124] 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.[125]
Warnock has helped to obtain millions in funding for the Port of Savannah and for the new Northeast Georgia Inland Port in Hall County, Georgia.[126][127]
Warnock supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.[128][129]
Environment
In 2022, Warnock emphasized the importance of the national climate bill within his campaign.[130] Warnock referenced the contaminated water and air in Black and brown communities, such as the water crises in Jackson, Mississippi, and Flint, Michigan, and the burden placed on low-income families that pay a larger portion of their income on utilities.[130]
After attending a groundbreaking at Hyundai‘s electric vehicle plant in Savannah, Georgia alongside Governor Brian Kemp, Warnock told reporters that climate policy is a “moral” issue.[131] He said, “I’ve also put forward a lot of legislation focused on creating a green energy future, everything from electric vehicles to electric batteries being manufactured in the state to investing in solar manufacturing”.[131]
Warnock was a cosponsor of the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2022,[132] a bipartisan bill that “requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a pilot grant program for improving recycling accessibility in communities”.[133]
Gun control
Warnock received a “F” grade from the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) during his Senate campaign.[134] The NRA accused him of supporting the criminalization of private gun transfers and banning standard-issue magazines, and it endorsed Loeffler.[135] 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.”[136]
Healthcare
In October 2021, Warnock and Ossoff said they had obtained federal funding under the American Rescue Plan Act for health centers across Georgia, including two in Macon and four in Albany, each of which received between $500,000 to $1,100,000.[137][138] Reacting to this, Warnock affirmed his support for the American Rescue Plan, saying: “We must continue to do all we can to provide support and funding to our health care infrastructure and workers on the front lines of this pandemic.”[137]
A bipartisan bill on maternal health by Warnock and Senator Marco Rubio was incorporated into a $1.5 trillion federal spending package that passed Congress in March 2022.[139] Warnock’s bill allocated $50 million for integrated healthcare services grants, $45 million to innovation grants, $25 million for training of healthcare workers, and approval of a study on how to teach health professionals to reduce discrimination.[139] Warnock said, “Georgia is dead last when it comes to women and their access to healthcare” and that the bill’s aim was “to make sure that when women are trying to bring a child in this world, they don’t have to do so with one foot in the grave”.[139]
In August 2022, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included two proposals by Warnock: a $2,000 annual limit on prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare, and a $35 monthly limit on insulin costs for people on Medicare.[140] Republican lawmakers successfully challenged a third proposal by Warnock that would have imposed a $35 monthly limit on out-of-pocket insulin costs for people on private insurance, which was struck from the bill by the Senate Parliamentarian in accordance with the Byrd Rule.[140]
Immigration
Warnock criticized President 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.”[141]
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.”[142]
In 2025, Warnock was one of 12 Senate Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.[143]
LGBTQ rights
Warnock was endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign in 2020 and 2022 for his views on LGBTQ rights.[144][145] He supports the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.[146] Warnock also supported and cosponsored the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify same-sex and interracial marriages, but was absent for the final vote due to campaigning.[147][148]
Supreme Court
During a December 2020 debate, Warnock twice declined to answer whether he supported “packing the Supreme Court” by adding additional justices.[149]
Veterans and military families

In June 2021, Warnock and Ossoff assisted six Georgia organizations that work to reduce veteran homelessness by obtaining between $375,000 to $500,000 of federal funds for each organization, using funds from the Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program, which are intended to help the veterans find jobs.[150][151]
In September 2021, Warnock worked together with Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith to introduce legislation designating September 19 to 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.[152]
In November 2021, a bill of Warnock’s was enacted that approved a government study into whether there were racial disparities in benefits provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.[153]
Voting rights
In his maiden speech on the U.S. Senate floor, Warnock said that one of his primary goals upon assuming office was to oppose voting restrictions and support federal voting reforms.[154] He has said that passing legislation to expand voting rights is important enough to end the Senate filibuster.[105][155]
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.[156][157] 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.”[158] He has said that he does not oppose voter ID laws, but criticizes them when they discriminate against certain groups.[159][160]
Welfare
While he was assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church, Warnock opposed New York mayor Rudy Giuliani‘s workfare reforms. 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”.[161]
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
In a May 2018 sermon, Warnock criticized Israel’s alleged shooting of nonviolent Palestinian protesters, comparing the Palestinian cause to the Black Lives Matter movement. He emphasized the struggle for human dignity and Palestinians’ right to self-determination, while also advocating a two-state solution where “all of God’s children can live together”.[162] In 2019, after a visit to Israel and the West Bank, Warnock signed a statement with other clergy that was critical of Israel’s military occupation and settlement expansion in the West Bank. This statement compared the West Bank’s heavy militarization to apartheid South Africa’s occupation of Namibia, highlighting concerns about the viability of a two-state solution given these conditions.[163]
Warnock reversed course on some of these positions during his Senate campaign in November 2020, calling the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel “anti-Semitic” and a refusal to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. He has said that he does not believe that Israel is an apartheid state and that he recognizes Israel’s significance as a democracy in the Middle East and its importance as America’s partner in the region. Warnock has also expressed a commitment to working toward ensuring Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and has voiced his opposition to conditioning U.S. assistance to Israel.[162]
In October 2023, Warnock publicly condemned Hamas‘s acts of violence against Israel at the start of Gaza war. In a statement, he called the violence “heinous” and emphasized the importance of seeking a “lasting peace grounded in justice and human dignity for all of God’s creatures.”[164] Warnock later delivered a Senate speech emphasizing American leadership in achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace. He called for a negotiated ceasefire in the Gaza war, the release of hostages, and opening humanitarian corridors to aid Gaza, and he underscored the need for a two-state solution based on peace, security, and self-determination for both peoples.[165] Warnock was one of 19 Democratic senators to sign a letter to the Biden administration urging the United States to recognize a “nonmilitarized” Palestinian state after the war in Gaza.[166]
In November 2024, Warnock voted for all three Israel-related measures proposed by Bernie Sanders: to block sales to Israel of JDAMS, tank rounds, and mortar rounds. The measures would have blocked approximately $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel.[167][168] In April 2025, Warnock voted against a pair of resolutions sponsored by Sanders to withhold billions of dollars in offensive weapons sales and other military aid to Israel.[169] That summer, during the Gaza Strip famine, Warnock reversed his position and voted for a pair of similar Sanders-led resolutions on withholding military aid to Israel.[170][171]
Personal life
Warnock lives in Atlanta.[172] He married Oulèye Ndoye in a public ceremony on February 14, 2016; the couple had held a private ceremony in January.[20][173] They have two children. The couple separated in November 2019, and their divorce was finalized in 2020.[30]
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.[174] According to an 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 [sic] 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.[175] Police did not charge Warnock with any crimes regarding the incident.[176]
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.[177]
In October 2022, Savannah’s city government honorarily renamed Cape Street, the street on which Warnock grew up during the 1980s, as Raphael Warnock Way.[178]
Electoral history
| 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 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | {{cite web |title=United States Senate – November 8, 2022 General Election |publisher=[[Georgia Secretary of State]] |date=November 12, 2022 |access-date=November 12, 2022 |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/115465/web.307039/#/detail/10100}}</ref>”}},”i”:0}},”\n”,{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box winning candidate with party link\n “,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_winning_candidate_with_party_link”},”params”:{“party”:{“wt”:”Democratic Party (United States)”},”candidate”:{“wt”:”Raphael Warnock (incumbent)”},”votes”:{“wt”:”1,946,117″},”percentage”:{“wt”:”49.44%”},”change”:{“wt”:”{{nowrap|+1.05%}}”}},”i”:1}},{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box winning candidate with party link\n “,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_winning_candidate_with_party_link”},”params”:{“party”:{“wt”:”Republican Party (United States)”},”candidate”:{“wt”:”[[Herschel Walker]]”},”votes”:{“wt”:”1,908,442″},”percentage”:{“wt”:”48.49%”},”change”:{“wt”:”{{nowrap|−0.88%}}”}},”i”:2}},{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box candidate with party link”,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_candidate_with_party_link”},”params”:{“party”:{“wt”:”Libertarian Party (United States)”},”candidate”:{“wt”:”[[Chase Oliver]]”},”votes”:{“wt”:”81,365″},”percentage”:{“wt”:”2.07%”},”change”:{“wt”:”+1.35%”}},”i”:3}},{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box total\n “,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_total”},”params”:{“votes”:{“wt”:”3,935,924″},”percentage”:{“wt”:”100.0%”}},”i”:4}},{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box end”,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_end”},”params”:{},”i”:5}}]}’ style=””>| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | {{cite web |title=December 6, 2022 – General Election Runoff Unofficial Results |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/116564/web.307039/#/summary |website=Georgia Secretary of State |access-date=December 5, 2022}}</ref>”}},”i”:0}},”\n”,{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box winning candidate with party link”,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_winning_candidate_with_party_link”},”params”:{“party”:{“wt”:”Democratic Party (United States)”},”candidate”:{“wt”:”Raphael Warnock (incumbent)”},”votes”:{“wt”:”1,820,633″},”percentage”:{“wt”:”51.40%”},”change”:{“wt”:”+0.36%”}},”i”:1}},{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box candidate with party link”,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_candidate_with_party_link”},”params”:{“party”:{“wt”:”Republican Party (United States)”},”candidate”:{“wt”:”[[Herschel Walker]]”},”votes”:{“wt”:”1,721,244″},”percentage”:{“wt”:”48.60%”},”change”:{“wt”:”−0.36%”}},”i”:2}},{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box total\n “,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_total”},”params”:{“votes”:{“wt”:”3,541,877″},”percentage”:{“wt”:”100.0%”}},”i”:3}},”\n”,{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box hold with party link no swing\n”,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_hold_with_party_link_no_swing”},”params”:{“winner”:{“wt”:”Democratic Party (United States)”}},”i”:4}},”\n”,{“template”:{“target”:{“wt”:”Election box end”,”href”:”./Template:Election_box_end”},”params”:{},”i”:5}}]}’ style=””> | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Books
Articles
See alsoNotes
References
External links
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