Washington D.C. (GNB): In Georgia’s election rules, the winning candidate needs to win 50% of the votes or more, but none of them achieved that in November’s election. This is the reason the top two go through to a 5 January replay – a so-called run-off.
Right now, the Republican party has controlled the senate. The upper house- Senate can make or break votes and bills depending on which party controls it. This is the reason both the parties have now do or die situation.
The Senate majority in Joe Biden’s first presidential term would determine whether plans to expand abortion access backed by the House and the president-elect would sink or swim. It could also make or break the ambitious plans Biden laid out in his presidential campaign for the environment, healthcare, and the economy.
Technically, it is seen that there are currently 46 Democrats and two independent Senators – Bernie Sanders and Angus King – but they typically vote with Democrats. If Democrats win both Georgia seats, they’ll control the chamber with a 50-50 split, decided by incoming vice president-elect Kamala Harris.
There are two Senators for each of the 50 states, regardless of population. The winning Senators in Georgia will represent all 10.62 million inhabitants of the Peach State. In addition, there are 14 districts all with a Representative in the House, nine of which are currently Republicans, the remaining five Democrats.
Candidates in the Georgia Runoff Election:
The current Georgia Senators are Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. The 2020’s candidates are David Perdue (R), Jon Offoff (D), Kelly Loeffer (R) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D).
Republican David Perdue Vs Democrat Jon Offoff
Republican candidate David Perdue, 70, is facing firm competition from Democrat Jon Ossoff, 33.
Perdue has been a Senator in Georgia since 2015 and has been a loyal and longtime supporter of Donald Trump. Perdue used to be a former CEO of Reebok, a sports wear brand. According to BBC reports, Perdue is now facing scrutiny over multimillion-dollar stock trades in companies whose business falls under his scope on Senate committees. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Perdue is facing an unseating by the Democrat Jon Ossoff, 37 years his junior. Jon Offsoff used to be a documentary filmmaker before he worked for Atlanta Democrat Congressman Hank Johnson for five years. The civil rights activist and leader John Lewis, who died this summer, endorsed Offsoff’s 2020 election campaign.
Republican Kelly Loeffer Vs Democrat Reverend Raphael Warnock
Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, 50, came into office following the resignation of the sitting Senator Johnny Isakson resigned. She is one of the wealthiest members of the Senate; as co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, the women’s NBA team. Her ownership has been under scrutiny since her vocal public opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement following widespread civil rights protests this spring.
Challenging Loeffler for the Democrat party is Reverend Raphael Warnock. Warnock is 51 years old and a pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr once preached. He co-founded the voter rights organization the new Georgia Project alongside Stacey Abrams, which was partly responsible for record Democrat turnout in Georgia last year. The group is now under investigation by Georgia’s Republican secretary of state for allegedly sending ballot applications to non-residents.
Scenario -1 : Wins by both Ossoff and Warnock would result in a 50-50 split in the Senate, effectively giving Democrats control of the chamber since Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would cast tiebreaking votes.
Scenario-2 : A win by one of the Republicans would keep the Senate in the hands of Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Though it would be a narrow Republican majority, Biden and Democrats would face an uphill battle on any legislation they hoped to pass.
Georgia is a reliably red state that has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 20 years.
The question is whether one of Trump’s final political acts will push Republicans to victory or hand control of Congress to Democrats.
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