Sen. David Perdue Concedes Runoff Defeat To Jon Ossoff

ATLANTA, GA — U.S. Sen. David Perdue conceded defeat in the U.S. Senate runoff election to Senator-elect Jon Ossoff, Perdue said in a statement Friday.

"Bonnie and I are deeply grateful for the support millions of Georgians have shown us this year and in the six years since we first ran for the United States Senate," Perdue said in the statement. "Serving our home state has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am very proud of how our team in Georgia and Washington, D.C. fought every day to deliver real results for all 11 million Georgians."

National outlets projected Warnock's victory at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, and Democrat Jon Ossoff was projected the winner that afternoon against Perdue — flipping control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats. Both Perdue's race and that of outgoing U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who conceded defeat to Democratic Senator-elect Raphael Warnock on Thursday, fell outside Georgia's margins for a recount of the votes.

"Although we won the general election, we came up just short of Georgia's 50 percent rule, and now I want to congratulate the Democratic Party and my opponent for this runoff win," Perdue said. "Bonnie and I will continue to pray for our wonderful state and our great country. May God continue to bless Georgia and the United States of America."