Collective eyes will be on the State of Georgia today as residents head to the polls. The Senate runoff election happens today. The state requires candidates to receive 50% of the vote to win. Since no candidate received half of the vote in the November election, a runoff election was necessary. Senate Democratic hopefuls Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock hope to secure victories turning the state blue again. A win by both would give Democrats in Washington a majority in the Senate.
Both Democrats ran on platforms focusing on healthcare for all, criminal justice, and help for working-class Americans. They face Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelley Loeffler. Both Trump-supporting Republicans walked a delicate balancing act of supporting Trump while dodging reporters’ questions about their allegiance to him in the Press. They recently came out and said they intend to object to the certification of Biden’s Presidential win.
Trump’s attacks on Georgia’s election, their elected officials, and his recent attempt to coerce the Secretary of State to “find votes” to change the Presidential election results could prove challenging for both candidates fighting to save their jobs.
Voter turnout in Georgia has already proven historic, with over 3 million residents early voting. Both camps spent yesterday campaigning across the state. Trump and Pence attended different campaign rallies hoping to rally their base to the polls. President-Elect Biden and Vice-President-Elect Harris also spent the day campaigning on behalf of the Democratic Candidates.
There is much at stake in this runoff election. The election comes one day before Presidential results are certified. At his rally in Georgia, Biden said that a win for Democrats would ensure Coronavirus relief, giving Americans $2000 stimulus checks.
“If you send Jon and the Reverend to Washington, those $2,000 checks will go out the door, restoring hope and decency and honor for so many people who are struggling right now,”
With the COVID-19 pandemic, election results are likely to take longer to count with the increase in mail-in ballots.
“This is not an exaggeration: Georgia, the whole nation is looking to you to lead us forward,” -Joe Biden.
Interim Managing Editor Danielle Sanders is a writer and journalist living in Chicago. Find her on social media @DanieSandersOfficial.
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