Raphael G. Warnock
DemocratU.S. Senator, GA| Age | 56 (b. 1969-07-23) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2021-01-20 (~5 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | African American |
| Religion | Baptist (Progressive National Baptist Convention); Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church |
| Education | BA, Psychology, Morehouse College (1991, cum laude); MDiv, Union Theological Seminary; MPhil, Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary; PhD, Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary (2006) |
| Prior occupation | Baptist minister and pastor; youth pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church (NYC); senior pastor at Douglas Memorial Community Church, Baltimore (2001-2005); senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta (2005-present); Chair, New Georgia Project (2017-2020) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Savannah, Georgia |
| Marital status | Divorced — Oulèye Ndoye (divorced 2020) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Atlanta, GA (church-owned home in DeKalb County); Washington, DC (Capitol Hill townhouse purchased Jan 2023 for $1.149M) |
| Notable relatives | Brother Keith Coleman (Warnock's half-brother, Savannah police officer convicted 1997 in FBI drug sting 'Operation Broken Oath', sentenced to life, released 2020 after 22 years) |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2021 |
| Previous offices | Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta (2005-present, concurrent with Senate service) · Senior Pastor, Douglas Memorial Community Church, Baltimore (2001-2005) · Chair, New Georgia Project (2017-2020) |
| Committees | Senate Finance Committee · Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee · Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee |
| Caucuses | Congressional Black Caucus · Black Maternal Health Caucus · Rare Disease Caucus |
| Ideology | Progressive Democrat; voted with Biden 96.5% through December 2022; GovTrack ranked him most politically right among Senate Democrats in 2022 relative to caucus norms |
| Signature legislation | Insulin cap at $35/month for Medicare patients (included in Inflation Reduction Act, signed Aug 2022) · Prescription drug out-of-pocket cap of $2,000/year for seniors (included in Inflation Reduction Act, signed Aug 2022) · Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act (co-sponsored with Sen. Marco Rubio, 2022) · John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (reintroduced 2025, pending) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $800,000–$1,900,000 (2022) · estimate
| ML Bank Deposit Program | other · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2022 |
| MMBB - American Baptist Church retirement plan | fund · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2022 |
| DC Capitol Hill townhouse (Old City neighborhood) | real_estate · $1,100,000–$1,200,000 · 2023 |
| Atlanta primary residence (Ebenezer Baptist Church-owned) | real_estate · 2022 |
Top donors: Google Inc (Alphabet) ($530,227)
Top industries: Retired · Securities & Investment · Lawyers/Law Firms · Education · Health Professionals
Scandals & crimes ledger
dismissed — Arrest and Obstruction Charges in Child-Abuse Investigation (2002)
On July 31, 2002, Warnock and co-pastor Mark Wainwright were arrested by Maryland State Police and charged with obstructing a police investigation into suspected physical abuse at Camp Farthest Out, a summer camp operated by Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, where Warnock was then associate pastor. Police reports alleged Warnock interrupted officer interviews of camp counselors and sought to prevent a teen witness from disclosing information. Warnock maintained he was only insisting counselors have legal counsel present. Three months later a judge dismissed all charges on the prosecutor's motion.
dismissed — Arrested for Obstructing Child Abuse Investigation (2002)
On July 31, 2002, Warnock — then senior pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore — was arrested alongside Rev. Mark Wainwright after a state trooper alleged the two ministers impeded her investigation into suspected child abuse at the church's Camp Farthest Out in Carroll County, Maryland, by interrupting police interviews with teen counselors and allegedly preventing a witness from speaking with authorities. Warnock maintained he was ensuring the teen employees had access to legal counsel during questioning. He was not a suspect in the underlying child abuse allegations. A Carroll County judge granted the prosecutor's motion to dismiss all charges on October 30, 2002, approximately three months after the arrest. The prosecutor stated the case arose from a 'miscommunication' and that Warnock was 'very helpful' with the continued investigation.
resolved — Georgia Ethics Commission — New Georgia Project $300,000 Campaign Finance Fine business
The New Georgia Project (NGP) and its affiliated action fund, both founded by Stacey Abrams and led by Raphael Warnock as CEO/chairman, raised $4.2 million and spent $3.2 million to support Abrams and other candidates in the 2018 Georgia election cycle without disclosing the activity as required by state law. The Georgia Ethics Commission opened an investigation and reached a consent decree in January 2025 in which NGP's current leadership admitted 16 violations. The fine was assessed against the organizations, not against Warnock personally. A separate complaint alleging illegal coordination remained under investigation as of the consent decree date.
dismissed — FEC MUR 8033 — Personal Use of Campaign Funds (Dismissed)
In July 2022, the National Republican Senatorial Committee filed FEC Matter Under Review 8033, alleging Warnock and his campaign committee (Warnock for Georgia, treasurer Christopher Koob) converted campaign contributions to personal use by paying approximately $300,000 in legal fees to Perkins Coie and Elias Law Group to defend a civil lawsuit arising from Warnock's pre-Senate pastoral work at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Warnock's campaign argued the expenditure was permissible because the lawsuit was filed while he held office. The FEC's General Counsel recommended dismissal in August 2024, and commissioners voted 5-1 to dismiss and close the file in October 2024.