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Republican wins runoff to become Georgia's secretary of state

Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Republican Brad Raffensperger defeated former Democratic Rep. John Barrow in Tuesday night's runoff to become Georgia secretary of state, the AP reports, marking the end of a contentious midterm cycle marred by concerns of voter suppression.

The big picture: The win is a blow for Democrats who had hoped to add Georgia to a string of secretary of state election victories they secured last month in Arizona, Colorado and Michigan. Raffensperger pledged to prioritize election fraud and continue the strict enforcement of voter ID laws and purges of voter rolls carried out by his predecessor, Republican Gov.-elect Brian Kemp.

Go deeper: Georgia's voter purging problem

Go deeper

Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
5 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Vaccinations, relief timing dominate Sweet 16 call

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) speaks during a news conference in December with a group of bipartisan lawmakers. Photo: Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Vaccine distribution, pandemic data and a cross-party comity dominated today's virtual meeting between White House officials and a bipartisan group of 16 senators, Senator Angus King told Axios.

Why it matters: Given Democrats' razor-thin majority in both chambers of Congress, President Biden will have to rely heavily on this group of centrist lawmakers — dubbed the "Sweet 16" — to pass any substantial legislation.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Kadia Goba
29 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Progressives pressure Schumer to end filibuster

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images

A progressive coalition is pressuring Chuck Schumer on his home turf by running a digital billboard in Times Square urging the new majority leader to end the Senate filibuster.

Why it matters: Schumer is up for re-election in 2o22 and could face a challenger, and he's also spearheading his party's broader effort to hold onto its narrow congressional majorities.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Orion Rummler
4 hours ago - Health

U.S. surpasses 25 million COVID cases

A mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Dodger Stadium on Jan. 22 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The U.S has confirmed more than 25 million coronavirus cases, per Johns Hopkins data updated on Sunday.

The big picture: President Biden has said he expects the country's death toll to exceed 500,000 people by next month, as the rate of deaths due to the virus continues to escalate.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow