Georgia voters will have another two months of election season as the state’s two Senate races come down to the Jan. 5 runoff.
After months of campaign advertising, political attacks and an election night that lasted five days, America has a new president-elect in Joe Biden.voters will have another two months of election seasonFor Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, the race means salvaging a critical win after the tides were turned in usually-red Georgia during the presidential race. For Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, it means energizing their base to keep Georgia’s “blue wave” rolling.
Loeffler had to fend off challengers from both sides of the aisle for the Nov. 3 election. President Donald Trump-endorsed candidate Doug Collins was as much of a competitor to the seat as Warnock, but Collins couldn’t overcome Loeffler last week. The campaign expects to benefit from the narrow margin of the presidential race. Biden’s statewide lead expanded to just over 10,000 votes Sunday with a recount ahead. The hope for Warnock is that the tight race serves as evidence to Georgia Democrats: every vote counts.
Perdue’s team is banking on Georgia Republicans recognizing the high stakes for the runoff. As of Sunday, the Senate was deadlocked at 48-48, but Republicans were leading uncalled races in Alaska and North Carolina. Public safety will be a big part of Perdue’s campaign going forward as well. Perdue strongly opposed the defunding of police departments. Ossoff told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he supports “reforming and demilitarizing policing in America,” but didn’t go as far as decrying the movement.