Early vote totals suggested close contests were unfolding in two U.S. Senate races in Georgia that will decide which party controls the chamber and the possible fate of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's legislative agenda.
Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler faced Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker, and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, a pastor at a historic Black church in Atlanta.
About an hour after polls closed at 7 p.m., Warnock led Loeffler by 6.2 percentage points, while Ossoff was ahead of Perdue by 5.6 percentage points, with 20% of the estimated vote counted, according to Edison Research.
An Edison exit poll of more than 5,200 voters found half had voted for Republican President Donald Trump in November and half for Biden. The voters were also evenly split on whether Democrats or Republicans should control the Senate.
The survey included both early voters and voters who cast ballots on Tuesday.
Democrats must win both contests in Georgia to take control of the Senate. A double win for the Democrats would create a 50-50 split in the Senate, giving Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote after she and Biden take office on Jan 20. The party already has a majority in the House of Representatives.
If Republicans hold onto the Senate, they would effectively wield veto power over Biden's political and judicial appointees as well as many of his policy initiatives in areas such as economic relief, climate change, healthcare and criminal justice.
The results could be known by Wednesday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told CNN, although the outcome may remain in doubt for days if the margins are razor-thin.
Both Biden and Trump campaigned in the state on Monday, underscoring the stakes.
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