WNBA Players’ Warnock Campaign Felt in Georgia Senate Race

All eyes are on today’s runoff elections in Georgia, where the outcome determines which political party will gain control of the U.S. Senate. 

Republican Kelley Loeffler currently holds one of the two Senate seats up for grabs. She also owns the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, but players aren’t supporting her campaign. 

• Loeffler has denounced both the Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name movements, writing to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert that the league needs less politics, and called for U.S. flags on jerseys.  
• She also introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would effectively ban trans girls and women from playing publicly funded sports.

The WNBPA called for Loeffler to be removed from the league, and the WNBA distanced itself from Loeffler in a statement saying she was no longer involved in the Dream’s day-to-day business.

WNBA players have instead thrown their support behind Democrat challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock, leading a campaign to vote out Loeffler.

On Aug. 4 and 5, in the middle of the league’s Wubble season, players from all 12 teams wore black T-shirts reading “VOTE WARNOCK” to their games.

Warnock’s campaign said it saw $240,000 in online donations and 4,000 new donors in the 72 hours after the WNBA’s demonstration. Warnock has raised more than $100 million since October. 

Both Warnock and Loeffler have reason to be confident on election day, as most polls show them just a couple percentage points apart in either direction.