Washington, Jan 3: President-elect Joe Biden is going all-in to help Democrats win two Senate runoffs in Georgia that will determine party control in the critical early years of his administration, a widespread effort that not long ago would have been unthinkable in a Republican-dominated state in the Deep South.
The push ahead of Tuesday’s election comes with early voting making some Republicans nervous as President Donald Trump, who narrowly lost the state to Biden, continues to assert falsely that the Georgia election process is rigged.
Biden and his team have steered at least USD 18 million to help Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock try to unseat Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Biden’s campaign manager and incoming White House deputy chief of staff, Jen O’Malley Dillon, confirmed the figures on Saturday, ahead of upcoming visits to the state by both Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
The money includes about USD 6 million in staff and voter data support and $12 million in fundraising for the two campaigns. The president-elect and Harris also have recorded robocalls to blanket the state ahead of Tuesday.
The pair has planned media interviews in markets across Georgia, including morning and late-afternoon “drive-time” radio on Election Day. The effort reflects the high stakes, with Democrats needing a sweep to tilt the Senate in their favor, while Republicans need just one seat to keep their majority and force Biden to contend with divided government.
Beyond what it means for Biden’s legislative prospects, the president-elect’s activity highlights the state’s evolution into a legitimate two-party battleground and what Biden’s team touts as his advantages as the first Democrat since 1992 to carry the state in a presidential election.
“We’re not having any conversations about whether there’s a value-add to have the president-elect be a part of this. There is,” O’Malley Dillon said in an interview. “The party feels that way and sees the unique coalition that he’s put together.” Biden will be in Atlanta on Monday, the same day that Trump heads to the north Georgia town of Dalton for an election-eve rally.
Vice President Mike Pence also will be in Georgia on Monday. Harris will be in Savannah on Sunday. Republicans face considerable pressure to maximize their expected Election Day advantage to make up for an apparent repeat of Democrats’ success in early voting turnout in November’s election.
“This is a turnout election, and the Democrats are turning out their votes,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, warned a GOP crowd Saturday in Cumming, an Atlanta suburb where he campaigned with Loeffler. In November, about 5 million ballots were cast altogether. (AP)
