As the vote count continues, Warnock vows to fight for all Georgians.

With a narrow lead in his critical Senate race, Reverend Raphael Warnock promised Georgian voters early Wednesday that he would work on their behalf in the Senate, even though the race had not been officially called in his favor.

“We were told we couldn’t win this election,” said Mr. Warnock, who led incumbent Republican President Kelly Loeffler, by around 35,000 votes with around 97% of the ballots already counted. “But tonight we have proven that with hope, hard work and people on our side, anything is possible.

Mr Warnock, the pastor of the legendary Ebenezer Baptist Church, said he was “going to the Senate” to work for all Georgians, although the race has not been decided.

In brief remarks he recalled his family’s roots in Georgia, noting that he grew up in Savannah housing projects and graduated from Morehouse College. He spoke of his parents, including his mother, who he said “picked someone else’s cotton” as a teenager.

“But the other day, because this is America, somebody else’s 82-year-old cotton-picking hands went to the polls and chose his youngest son to be United States Senator “, did he declare.

If he ultimately wins his race, Mr. Warnock would become the first black Democrat elected to the Senate by the South.

“May my story be an inspiration to a young person trying to capture and capture the American dream.”

“Georgia,” he added, “I am honored by the faith you have shown in me.”

Speaking at about the same time, Mrs. Loeffler thanked his supporters and said, “We’re going to win this election.” Still, she admitted that the contest was “a thumbs-up” and that there was still “work to be done”.

Mr Warnock’s race runs alongside another close competition in the Senate that has yet to be triggered. This race, between Republican David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff, as of Wednesday morning was a virtual tie.

In a statement early Wednesday, Mr Ossoff’s campaign manager Ellen Foster said that “when all the votes are counted, we fully expect Jon Ossoff to win this election.”

If Democrats manage to win both races, they will take control of the Senate, paving the way for the easier passage of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s platform.