Crunch Time: Senate Control in Hands of Georgia Voters on Tuesday

Georgia voters are already in the process of early voting in two run-off races for the U.S. Senate that will determine control of the nation’s upper chamber and perhaps ensure a Democrat agenda for the country beginning on January 20, when Joe Biden will likely be inaugurated as the nation’s 46th president. Polls close in the Peach State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, and the state will certify the results within seven to ten days thereafter.

The Senate currently stands at 50-48 in Republican hands. If Democrats pick up both Georgia seats, the resulting 50-50 balance and potential tie votes on legislation puts the focus on the next Vice President, who, as the constitutionally designated president of the Senate come January 20, would be able to cast a tie-breaking vote on any issue before that chamber. As the House still retains a narrow Democrat majority, and Wednesday’s potential certification of the Electoral College results by Congress looks nearly certain to result in a Biden/Harris victory, control of the Senate by Democrats could guarantee that their progressive “wish list” of policies could be enacted in record time.

The first race, which features incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue squaring off against Democrat challenger Jon Ossoff, is necessary because neither candidate achieved a majority of the votes cast back in the November general election. The polls – if they can be trusted this time around – indicate a toss-up, according to FiveThirtyEight, an election analysis group. Its polling averages currently show Ossoff narrowly ahead of Perdue by a 1.8% margin.

In the second race, incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler faces Raphael Warnock, a Baptist preacher. According to FiveThirtyEight, Warnock leads in its polling averages by 2.2%.

Since control of the Senate hangs in the balance, fundraising, as you might expect, has yielded unbelievable numbers. Ossoff and Warnock have raised $107 million and $103 million respectively since November 15, far out-distancing amounts raised by Perdue ($68 million) and Loeffler ($64 million). That would seem to suggest that the two Democrats at least won the advertising battle leading up to Tuesday.

However, the Republicans have been aided by third-party support. Pro-Republican groups have spent almost $180 million on political advertising in Georgia, while pro-Democrat groups have paid for only about $63 million worth. So it looks as though the amount of ads overall gives the Republican candidates an advantage of about $40 milllion.

And speaking of Sen. Kamala Harris, she campaigned in Georgia on Sunday for Ossoff and Warnock. Former Vice President Joe Biden, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be in the state on Monday, campaigning on behalf of their respective parties’ candidates.

The Daily Citizen will be reporting live from one of President Trump’s Georgia rallies later today. You can watch those videos on our Facebook page.

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