Raphael Warnock
Raphael Warnock | |
|---|---|
%22%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22middle%22%20fill%3D%22%2354595d%22%20font-size%3D%2216%22%20font-family%3D%22sans-serif%22%3ESenator%20Raphael%20Warnock%20of%20Georgia%20in%20his%20official%20portrait%2C%20taken%20in%202021%20right%20after%20Warnock%20was%20elected%20to%20the%20senate.%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fg%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E) Official portrait, 2021 | |
| United States Senator from Georgia | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Kelly Loeffler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Raphael Gamaliel Warnock July 23, 1969 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Oulèye Ndoye
(m. 2016; div. 2020) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Morehouse College (BA) Union Theological Seminary (MDiv, MPhil, PhD) |
| Occupation |
|
| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Christian |
| Denomination | Baptist (Progressive National Baptist Convention) |
| Church | Ebenezer Baptist Church |
| Senior posting | |
| Post | Senior pastor (2005–present) |
Raphael Gamaliel Warnock (/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 member of the Democratic Party, Warnock has been the senior pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church since 2005.
Warnock was the senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church from 2001 to 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. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States Senate special election in Georgia, defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in a runoff election.
Warnock and Jon Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia since Zell Miller in 2000. Their elections were critical in securing a 50–50 Senate majority for Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote. Warnock was a reliable supporter of Joe Biden's legislative efforts during his presidency. 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.