Meet candidates for Georgia’s U.S. Senate Seat: Kelly Loeffler vs. Raphael Warnock

Republican Kelly Loeffler (Incumbent) is facing off in a Jan. 5 runoff against Democrat Raphael Warnock for a U.S. Senate seat. This seat, and Georgia’s other U.S. Senate seat that’s also in a runoff, will decide the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Georgia is in the rare position of having both of its U.S. Senate seats up for election this year after Sen. Johnny Isakson retired unexpectedly due to health concerns. Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Kelly Loeffler to serve until the state could hold a new election. That seat was previously held by Zell Miller (D), Paul Coverdell (R) and Herman Talmadge (D).

RELATED: Meet the candidates running for Georgia’s U.S. Senate Seat: David Perdue vs. Jon Ossoff

Kelly Loeffler (R) - Incumbent

Background: Loeffler was born in Illinois and raised on her family’s farm. She earned a BS in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA in International Finance and Marketing from DePaul University. In 2018, she became the CEO of Bakkt. She later moved to Georgia and married Jeffery Sprecher, the CEO of International Exchange, which owns the NYSE. She is part owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and was appointed U.S. senator by Gov. Brian Kemp after the retirement of Johnny Isakson.

Where she stands on the issues:

Health care: Loeffler says Georgians need affordable and accessible health care. Working with President Donald Trump, she says she is working to make prescription drug prices more affordable and to eliminate surprise medical billings.

Jobs & Economy: Loeffler says she is working in Washington to advance “pro-growth” economic policies. She also says she is championing President Trump’s economic agenda.

Coronavirus: Loeffler states that she is in constant contact with state and federal agencies regarding the pandemic. She introduced a bill to expand rural health care access and voted for additional funding to support the federal response to coronavirus.

Website: kellyforsenate.com

Raphael Warnock (D)

Background: Warnock was born in Savannah, Georgia and grew up in public housing. He graduated from Morehouse College and later earned a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary. In 2005, he was named senior pastor at Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s church. Warnock chaired the New Georgia Project, a voter registration organization.

Where he stands on the issues:

Health care: Warnock is a fierce advocate for Medicaid expansion and even protested for it in Gov. Deal’s office. He wants to improve and build upon the Affordable Care Act. He also opposes the influence of pharmaceutical and Insurance companies in Washington.

Jobs & Economy: He would push to revoke tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs to other countries and supports made-in-America initiatives. Warnock wants to help small businesses get access to capital, particularly those owned by minorities and women. He advocates for a living wage.

Coronavirus: Warnock believes the pandemic exposed the health care gap between rich and poor, white and Black, and urban and rural Georgians. He says we should listen to medical experts on how to respond to the virus and believes in a plan for robust testing and contract tracing.

Website: warnockforgeorgia.com

Cox Media Group