Democrat Ossoff projected to win U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia

Democrat Jon Ossoff is on track to defeat Republican incumbent David Perdue in the U.S. Senate runoff in the southeastern state of Georgia, which would give Democrats control of the upper chamber, multiple U.S. media outlets projected Wednesday afternoon, reported Xinhua.

NBC News, CNN and ABC News have projected Ossoff to be the winner in the second of the two Georgia Senate runoffs.

In the other race, a special election runoff, Democrat Raphael Warnock has been projected to win against incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler.

Ossoff's win would allow Democrats to split the 100-seat U.S. Senate 50-50 with Republicans, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be in a position to cast the tie-breaking vote.

With Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate, President-elect Joe Biden would have more support in the Congress, giving his administration more power to maneuver when rolling out its policies.

With Democrat Raphael Warnock having been projected to win against incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, Democrats earlier on Wednesday declared victory in two Senate runoffs in Georgia, while their Republicans opponents hadn't conceded.

Biden, in a tweet, said he called Warnock and Ossoff Wednesday morning to congratulate them on their "hard-fought campaigns."

"Georgia voters delivered a resounding message yesterday: they want action on the crises we face and they want it right now. Together, we'll get it done," said the president-elect.

Ossoff, in his response, thanked the president-elect for his call, saying in a tweet that "I'm looking forward to working with you to get financial relief directly to the people, beat COVID-19, and build a healthier, more prosperous, more just America for all."

In the presidential election in November 2020, Biden won Georgia with a narrow margin, relying on the state's shifting demographics and reinforced support from African American voters.