Warnock andJon Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia sinceZell Miller in2000.[6][7] Their elections were critical in securing a 50–50 Senate majority for Democrats, with Vice PresidentKamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.[8] Warnock was a reliable supporter ofJoe Biden's legislative efforts during his presidency.[9][10] He was reelected to a full term in2022, defeating Republican nomineeHerschel Walker.
Warnock was born inSavannah, Georgia, on July 23, 1969.[14] He grew up inpublic housing as the eleventh of twelve children born to Verlene and Jonathan Warnock, bothPentecostal pastors.[15][16] His father served in theU.S. Army duringWorld War II, where he learned automobile mechanics and welding, and subsequently opened a smallcar restoration business where he restored junked cars for resale.[17] His mother picked cotton and tobacco in the summers inWaycross, Georgia, as a teenager and became apastor.[18]
In January 2001, Warnock was elected senior pastor ofDouglas Memorial Community Church inBaltimore, Maryland.[31][32] 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.[33] 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.[34][35] Warnock said he was merely asserting that lawyers should be present during the interviews[36] and that he had intervened to ensure that an adult was present while a juvenile suspect was being questioned.[37] Warnock stepped down as the church's senior pastor in 2005.[4]
OnEaster Sunday 2021, Warnock'sTwitter 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, includingBenjamin Watson,Allie Beth Stuckey, andJenna 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.[47][48]
From June 2017 to January 2020, Warnock chaired theNew Georgia Project, anonpartisan organization founded by DemocratStacey Abrams and focused on increasingvoter registration.[58][39] The New Georgia Project and its affiliate the New Georgia Project Action Fund secretly campaigned for Abrams in her2018 gubernatorial campaign in Georgia and for other Democratic political campaigns in the state. It also illegally campaigned for an unsuccessfulMARTA 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.[59][60][61]
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.[75][76]
In the January 5 runoff election, Warnock defeated Loeffler with 51.04% of the vote. With this victory, he became the firstAfrican 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 aformer state of the Confederacy.[11][12][13][77] Warnock and Ossoff are the first Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia sinceZell Miller in2000.[6][7] On January 7, Loeffler conceded.[78] The election result was certified on January 19.[79]
Warnock and Ossoff at theState of the Union in April 2021 after winning their first runoff elections
On January 27, 2021, Warnock announced that he would seek reelection to a full term in 2022.[80]
Since no candidate received a majority of the vote in the general election on November 8, 2022, Warnock faced Walker in arunoff election on December 6, and won.[81][82] He became the first Georgia Democrat to win reelection to the Senate sinceSam Nunn in1990[83] and the first Deep South Democrat to win reelection to the Senate sinceMary Landrieu ofLouisiana in2008.[84]
On March 5, 2021, Warnock and 29 other Democratic and independent senators co-sponsored an amendment to raise thefederal minimum wage to $15 an hour.[90]
In January 2022, whenJohnny 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".[92][93]
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 afterJohn Lewis, who was a U.S. representative for Atlanta until his death in 2020.[94][95]
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.[96]
Warnock speaking at a press conference on theCOVID-19 relief bill in 2021Warnock with President Biden at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 2023
In April 2021,Politico reported that Warnock, as a U.S. senator, had embraced "aprogressive agenda".[102] As of December 2022, Warnock had voted in line with PresidentJoe Biden's stated position 96.5% of the time.[103]
According toGovTrack, for Warnock's Senate term from 2021 to 2023, he was ranked "most politicallyright" 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.[104]
In December 2020, during Warnock's Senate campaign, a group of 25 black ministers wrote him anopen 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."[107]
Warnock was the main sponsor of S.278 - Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act of 2021.[111] The bill would aid historically disaffected minority groups in theagriculture sector.[112]
Warnock worked with SenatorTommy Tuberville to reduce barriers to trade forpeanut exports in order to assist peanut farmers in Georgia.[113][114][115]
Warnock opposes thedeath penalty.[116] He unsuccessfully attempted to stop the execution of death-row inmateTroy Davis, who had been convicted of the 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, Georgia.[116]
After President Joe Biden recommended in March 2022 that theAir National Guard's Combat Readiness Training Center inSavannah, 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.[117]
Warnock supported theNational 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".[118] The barracks are slated to house over 370 soldiers.[119]
In 2022, Warnock emphasized the importance of the national climate bill within his campaign.[126] Warnock referenced the contaminated water and air in Black and brown communities, such as the water crises inJackson, Mississippi, andFlint, Michigan, and the burden placed on low-income families that pay a larger portion of their income on utilities.[126]
After attending a groundbreaking atHyundai's electric vehicle plant inSavannah, Georgia alongside GovernorBrian Kemp, Warnock told reporters that climate policy is a "moral" issue.[127] 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".[127]
Warnock was a cosponsor of the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2022,[128] a bipartisan bill that "requires theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a pilot grant program for improving recycling accessibility in communities".[129]
Warnock received a "F" grade from theNRAPolitical Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) during his Senate campaign.[130] The NRA accused him of supporting the criminalization of private gun transfers and banning standard-issue magazines, and it endorsed Loeffler.[131] In 2014, Warnock gave a sermon in which he criticizedGeorgia'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."[132]
In October 2021, Warnock and Ossoff said they had obtained federal funding under theAmerican Rescue Plan Act for health centers across Georgia, including two inMacon and four inAlbany, each of which received between $500,000 to $1,100,000.[133][134] 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."[133]
A bipartisan bill on maternal health by Warnock and SenatorMarco Rubio was incorporated intoa $1.5 trillion federal spending package that passed Congress in March 2022.[135] 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.[135] 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".[135]
In August 2022, the Senate passed theInflation Reduction Act, which included two proposals by Warnock: a $2,000 annual limit on prescription drug costs for seniors onMedicare, and a $35 monthly limit on insulin costs for people on Medicare.[136] Republican lawmakers removed a third proposal by Warnock that would have imposed a $35 monthly limit on out-of-pocket insulin costs for people on private insurance.[136]
Warnock criticized President Trump's "shithole countries" comment in 2018 and his subsequent signing of a proclamation honoringMartin 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."[137]
Warnock also has supported keepingTitle 42 expulsions, saying, "We need assurances that we have security at the border and that we protect communities on this side of the border."[138]
In 2025, Warnock was one of 12 Senate Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for theLaken Riley Act.[139]
Warnock was endorsed by theHuman Rights Campaign in 2020 and 2022 for his views on LGBTQ rights.[140][141] He supports theEquality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.[142] Warnock also supported and cosponsored theRespect for Marriage Act, which would codify same-sex and interracial marriages, but was absent for the final vote due to campaigning.[143][144]
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.[146][147]
In September 2021, Warnock worked together with SenatorCindy Hyde-Smith to introduce legislation designating September 19 to 25 asGold 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.[148]
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 theUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs.[149]
In hismaiden 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.[150] He has said that passing legislation to expand voting rights is important enough to end theSenate filibuster.[102][151]
While he was assistant pastor atAbyssinian Baptist Church, Warnock opposed New York mayorRudy Giuliani's workfare reforms. In 1997, he toldThe 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".[157]
Warnock has expressed a range of views on theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict. He has criticized Israel's actions, particularly in a May 2018 sermon where he discussed Israel's shooting of nonviolent Palestinian protesters, comparing the Palestinian cause to the Black Lives Matter movement. Warnock emphasized the struggle for human dignity and the Palestinians' right to self-determination, while also advocating for atwo-state solution where "all of God's children can live together".[158]
In 2019, after a visit to Israel and theWest 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 apartheidSouth Africa's occupation of Namibia, highlighting concerns about the viability of a two-state solution given these conditions.[159]
Warnock reversed course on some of these positions during his Senate campaign in November 2020, calling theBoycott, 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 anapartheid state and that he recognizes Israel's significance as a democracy in theMiddle 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.[158]
In October 2023, Warnock publicly condemnedHamas's acts of violence against Israel at the start ofGaza 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."[160]
In February 2024, Warnock 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 aidGaza, and he underscored the need for a two-state solution based on peace, security, and self-determination for both peoples.[161]
In March 2024, 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.[162]
In November 2024, Warnock voted for all three Israel-related measures proposed byBernie Sanders: to block sales to Israel ofJDAMS, tank rounds, and mortar rounds. The measures would have blocked approximately $20 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel.[163][164]
In April 2025, Warnock voted against a pair of resolutions sponsored by SenatorBernie Sanders to withhold billions of dollars in offensive weapons sales and other military aid to Israel.[165]
Warnock lives inAtlanta.[166] He married Oulèye Ndoye in a public ceremony on February 14, 2016; the couple had held a private ceremony in January.[20][167] They have two children. The couple separated in November 2019, and their divorce was finalized in 2020.[27]
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.[168] According to anAtlanta 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.[169] Police did not charge Warnock with any crimes regarding the incident.[170]
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 aHarvard University program", and for a recalculation of child support payments.[171]
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.[172]
Warnock, Raphael G. (December 2013).The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness. New York:NYU Press.ISBN9780814794463.OCLC844308880.
^abMartin, Jonathan; Fausset, Richard (January 6, 2021)."Warnock beats Loeffler in Georgia Senate race".The New York Times.Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 8, 2021.The victory is a landmark breakthrough for African-Americans in politics. Mr. Warnock becomes the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from the Deep South sincereconstruction.
^"Ministers impeded probe, police allege".The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. Associated Press. August 4, 2002. p. B5.Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. RetrievedDecember 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Elizabeth Warren".Facebook. June 15, 2020.Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. RetrievedJune 16, 2020.As a champion for fair wages, Reverend Raphael Warnock has stood up for working families for years. I'm proud to endorse him because I know with him in the Senate, Georgians will have a leader with the courage and conviction to put working families first.
^Poole, Shelia (February 16, 2016)."A look at the wedding of Rev. Raphael Warnock and Ouleye Ndoye". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2020.The Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Ouleye Ndoye were wed publicly on Valentine's Day at the Auburn Avenue church. They initially wed in a private ceremony last month in Danforth Chapel on the campus of Morehouse College, Warnock's alma mater.
^Deere, Stephen; Bluestein, Greg (March 7, 2020)."Warnock, wife involved in dispute".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. RetrievedMarch 10, 2020.
.jpg)
.jpg)
_(50933141641).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
After Words interview with Warnock onA Way Out of No Way, June 26, 2022,C-SPAN
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Data from Wikidata
