Dream co-owner Loeffler loses Georgia senate runoff election

Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler is projected to lose her seat in the United States Senate. The Associated Press, NBC News, and multiple other outlets called the Georgia Senate runoff election in favor of Democrat challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock early Wednesday morning.

The final official results haven't been announced.

Loeffler, who assumed co-ownership of the WNBA franchise with Mary Brock in 2011, was appointed in December 2019 to fill the seat vacated after GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson resigned due to health issues.

Loeffler's campaign was politically aligned with outgoing President Donald Trump, who lost his re-election bid versus Democrat challenger Joe Biden in November.

Following months of criticism of Loeffler's socially conservative rhetoric, Dream players continued to rally support for Warnock in the lead up to the polls.

A flashpoint in the WNBA players' rising opposition to the Dream co-owner came after Loeffler called on commissioner Cathy Engelbert to distance the league from the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I adamantly oppose the Black Lives Matter political movement," Loeffler wrote in the letter obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein and Bria Felicien. "I believe it is totally misaligned with the values and goals of the WNBA and the Atlanta Dream, where we support tolerance and inclusion."

In response to the letter, the Women's National Basketball Players Association tweeted, "E-N-O-U-G-H! O-U-T!" The league proceeded to feature "Black Lives Matter" on its courts throughout the condensed 2020 season in Bradenton, Florida.

Players also featured the name "Breonna Taylor" on the back of their jerseys in 2020, memorializing the Louisville woman who was fatally shot by police executing a "no-knock" search warrant for her apartment on March 13.

Honoring Taylor was suggested by Angel McCoughtry, a Louisville alumna and former Dream player who joined the Las Vegas Aces last year.

McCoughtry publicly defended Loeffler as recently as April. At the time, the senator was facing misconduct allegations due to her financial dealings. Within months, however, the star forward's tone changed dramatically.

"I'm actually shocked by her actions," McCoughtry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Bria Felicien in early July. "Sometimes you gotta play the political game, and I get it. But don't mess with (the WNBA) in this political game.

"I know you gotta please your counterparts. If that's the case, then let them know that we've been in your home. We've (broken) bread with you. If this is the person that she really is, I know that I don't wanna be around someone who just doesn't advocate for what's right."