Three cheers for the voters of Georgia.

In a stunning blow to the lying fraudster Donald Trump, ordinary people of Georgia rose up and ensured that Raphael Warnock would remain their senator for six years.

Oh yes, it was close.

Only about 100,000 votes separate Sen. Warnock from his Republican challenger, Donald Trump acolyte Herschel Walker – a reminder of how important it is to vote.

The former president had pressed Mr. Walker to get into the race to ensure that there would be someone Black to oppose Sen. Warnock, who also is pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where civil rights giant Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his father once held the pulpit.

Mr. Trump helped raise tens of millions of dollars for his choice.

But in the end, the majority of Georgia voters repudiated the challenger. Thank goodness. And even better, it came on the same day that the Trump Organization was found guilty of fraud and cheating on state and federal taxes.

Karma!

Mr. Walker ranked among the nation’s best football players during his prime.

But anyone who heard him wondered why he was in this race.

He could not speak intelligibly on policy. He ran in Georgia, despite admitting he was getting tax breaks by listing himself as a Texas resident.

He opposed abortion, though he forced his paramours to have abortions.

The contrast was stark. Sen. Warnock has a reputation for integrity. Republicans tried to slur him, with claims he had evicted elderly tenants from some property he owns, but the claims proved to be untrue.

The first African-American to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Warnock not only could talk about policies and initiatives he believed would benefit the state, but he won plaudits for his work since winning a 2020 special election to earn a Senate seat.

One of the big factors was turnout. Democrats often stay home in a runoff election. But not this time.

The unofficial tally indicates 3.5 million people cast ballots, which is huge. Early voting, which favored the Democrat, set records.

Many Republicans held their nose to vote for Mr. Walker. Even his son wrote that his father “was not a good candidate.” No one who supported Sen. Warnock had to cringe in casting a ballot for him.

Except for contributing money, none of us here could influence the outcome. But Sen. Warnock’s continued presence in the Senate will benefit all of us with the votes he casts in support of meaningful people-helping policies.

That’s why we say again: Three cheers for the voters of Georgia.

Speak up

Is this what we want?

A Facebook post puts that question squarely before us:

• 550,000 unhoused people in the U.S.

• $195 billion in individual medical debt, with one in 10 American adults significantly impacted.

• 16.9 percent child poverty rate, with rates even higher in some cities like Richmond.

• 63 percent of American adults living paycheck to paycheck, with virtually no savings.

However, in the waning days of the current session of Congress, a big focus for the people who represent us involves consideration of the largest military budget in the country’s history.

While many of our neighbors live hand to mouth and drown in debt, our senators and representatives could soon vote on whether to authorize the Pentagon to spend $847 billion – sopping up 63 percent of all discretionary tax dollars.

Wow. Maybe it’s time for a change.

It is not just important to vote. It is also important to pay attention to what your representatives are voting on and to call them out when you disagree. The tax dollars they are trying to allocate will come from you and other taxpayers.

In other words, this is your money. So don’t be shy about letting your senators and Congress members know how you want it spent.