Georgia's run-off election hammered another nail into Donald Trump’s political coffin and spells big trouble for the Republican Party as a whole.
The victory of incumbent Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock over Trump-backed Herschel Walker highlights once more how an endorsement from the former president can be an electoral kiss of death. More alarmingly for the Republicans, it also shows that a critical mass of American voters care about a candidate's character.
Republican victory in the conservative southern state should have been a straightforward proposition. Prices are soaring for just about everything, the US economy is looking shakier by the day and President Joe Biden's popularity remains stuck in the doldrums.
Instead of picking a savvy political player who could capitalise on these concerns, Republicans in Georgia's primary went along with Mr Trump's endorsement and chose Mr Walker, a retired American football player, to run for a closely contested senate seat in a critically important election.
Mr Walker's deeply troubled personal history and his flaws as a father and partner should have disqualified him from even being considered as a candidate.
To recap just some of the lowlights: the anti-abortion candidate reportedly paid for former girlfriends to have their pregnancies terminated, a claim he denies; he railed against absentee dads before acknowledging as a candidate that he had three children out of wedlock; and according to his ex-wife, he threatened to kill her and put a gun to her head in an incident he said “probably” happened but that he didn't recall.
Georgia run-off election — in pictures
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Raphael Warnock will be returning to the US Senate. AP -
Filmmaker Spike Lee and Raphael Warnock both attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. AP -
Supporters turned up on a rainy Tuesday to back Georgia Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock. Getty / AFP -
Warnock supporters attend a election night party after polls closed for the midterm runoff elections. Reuters -
Dancers and a DJ energise local voters as part of the non-partisan Joy to the Polls project in Atlanta. AP -
Signs depicting former US president Barack Obama, the late representative John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr were seen throughout Atlanta encouraging people to vote in the runoff. Bloomberg -
Georgia voters on Tuesday chose to send Mr Warnock to the Senate. Bloomberg -
Athena Soules carries at sign an election night watch party for Mr Warnock. AP -
Supporters trickle in to the Warnock election night party in Atlanta. Reuters -
An anxious voter refreshers his browser to get the results as Mr Warnock's party continues behind him. Getty / AFP -
Audience members at an election night watch party for Mr Warnock at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. Getty / AFP -
Director Spike Lee speaks to the crowd at Mr Warnock's watch party. Getty / AFP -
Warnock supporters cheer as another vote count in favour of their candidate is announced. EPA
None of it mattered to the luminaries of the Republican Party, who rallied around Mr Walker once he won the primary. It should have been an awkward moment for a party that historically claimed probity and a moral upper hand when it comes to matters such as marital fidelity and sexual impropriety.
Their logic was simple: in polarised America, a candidate's character matters not, as long as they are on your team. Their leader Mr Trump, who allegedly had several extramarital affairs and has faced a number of allegations of sexual assault, claims he vigorously denies, is a case in point.
The sentiment was articulated well by conservative radio host Dana Loesch, who said: “I don’t care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the Senate.”
It was an unfortunate image for America's national bird and one that misjudged the mood. Voters, it turns out, do still care about a candidate's character.
A similar saga played out in the senate race in Pennsylvania, where Republican Mehmet Oz's team mocked Democratic opponent John Fetterman's verbal gaffes after he had suffered a serious stroke.
It was an ugly move for a physician who rode to fame as America's “Dr Oz”. Voters elected Mr Fetterman to the Senate.
In Georgia, Mr Walker's defeat to Mr Warnock, a pastor, means the Democrats now have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, a gain of one seat. They already had control of the Senate, thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote, but their absolute majority now means they can push through political appointments including federal judges with lifetime tenures.
The victory also gives Mr Biden a greater likelihood of being able to appoint a new Supreme Court justice should a vacancy appear in the next two years, and it means the Democrats can issue investigative subpoenas in the run up to the next election.
Mr Trump endorsed hundreds of candidates and has been quick to point out that most of them won. True, but the bulk of those were incumbents or shoo-ins.
In the races that mattered, Mr Trump’s endorsement was radioactive.
In seven key races that he weighed in on, six of his candidates lost. The only victory was in Ohio, where JD Vance won a senate seat. In Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and two races in Arizona, the Trump-endorsee was rejected.
All of this is grim news for the Republican Party. The current frontrunner for presidential candidate in 2024 is Mr Trump and he still commands a loyal following among a majority of Republicans.
But that's not enough to win a general election and if recent results are anything to go by, Americans are sick of Mr Trump’s constant whining and baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
The Justice Department has appointed a special investigator to oversee sprawling probes into Mr Trump’s actions around the time of the January 6, 2021 insurrection and the discovery of classified documents at his Florida estate.
And last month, Mr Trump hosted dinner for white supremacist Nick Fuentes and Ye, the outspoken anti-Semite formerly known as Kanye West who says he likes Hitler.
After Tuesday's election disaster in Georgia, perhaps Republicans will get the message.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican, recently said “candidate quality matters” and proposed a “great policy” for his party.
“Let’s stop supporting crazy, unelectable candidates in our primaries,” he said.
Warnock v Walker, Georgia US Senate race — in pictures
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Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock emerged victorious in a special run-off election to claim seats in the US Senate. AP -
Herschel Walker with his wife Julie celebrating his Republican primary win in Atlanta, Georgia. AP -
Mr Warnock speaks to people rallying for voters' rights on Capitol Hill in Washington. AFP -
Mr Walker, a Republican candidate for the Senate and a vocal abortion opponent, is facing allegations that he paid for his then-girlfriend to terminate her pregnancy in 2009. Getty Images / AFP -
First lady Jill Biden and Mr Warnock look on as a man is vaccinated against Covid-19 in Savannah, Georgia. AP -
Ms Biden gets a pie to-go at Green Truck Neighbourhood Pub in Savannah with Mr Warnock. AP -
Mr Walker has received support from alt-right groups across the country. Reuters -
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris talk to Mr Warnock at the entry to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where he serves as pastor. Reuters -
The historic Ebenezer Baptist Church was once headed by civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. AP -
Ms Harris during a Get Out The Vote campaign event featuring Mr Warnock and Mr Ossoff. Bloomberg -
Mr Warnock raised $9.8 million in the last quarter of 2021, nearly double the fundraising haul reported by Mr Walker. AP -
Mr Walker is endorsed by former US president Donald Trump. Reuters -
Mr Walker on his Unite Georgia Bus Tour in Forsyth, Georgia, home to historic KKK marches and subsequent protests. EPA -
Mr Warnock meets Korean-American seniors on the campaign trail in Norcross, Georgia. EPA -
The special election and victory of Mr Warnock in 2020 changed the balance of the US Senate. EPA
