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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 6 Januari 2021

Georgia deciding US Senate control in election’s final day

Democrats as certain to to
usher in a leftward lunge in
national policy. Neither War-
nock nor Ossoff is a socialist,
as Republicans allege. They
do, however, support Biden's
agenda.
This week's elections mark
the formal finale to the tur-
bulent 2020 election season
more than two months after
the rest of the nation fin-
ished voting. The stakes have
drawn nearly $500 million in
campaign spending to a once
solidly Republican state that
now finds itself as the na-
tion’s premier battleground.
The results also will help
demonstrate whether the
political coalition that fueled
Biden's victory was an anti-
Trump anomaly or part of a
new landscape.
Biden won Georgia’s 16 elec-
toral votes by about 12,000
votes out of 5 million cast in
(AP) — Georgians cast Democratic challengers, told lican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a picks and judicial nominees. November.
high-stakes final votes reporters outside an Atlanta 50-year-old former business- “Georgia, the whole nation Democratic success will like-
Tuesday in elections to polling site. woman who was appointed is looking to you,” Biden de- ly depend on driving a huge
determine the balance of Republicans were counting to the Senate less than a year clared at his own rally in At- turnout of African Ameri-
power in the new Con- on a big turnout Tuesday to ago by the state’s Republi- lanta on Monday. “The pow- cans, young voters, college-
gress, deciding Senate boost their chances. can governor. She is only the er is literally in your hands.” educated voters and women,
runoff elections sure to "You've got to swarm it to- second woman to represent Despite fears among some all groups that helped Biden
shape President-elect Joe morrow,” Trump told thou- Georgia in the Senate, al- Republicans that Trump's win Georgia. Republicans,
Biden's ability to enact sands of cheering supporters though race has emerged as a baseless claims of voter fraud meanwhile, have been fo-
what could be the most Monday night, downplaying campaign focus far more than could depress turnout, the cused on energizing their
progressive governing the threat of fraud even as he gender. Loeffler and her allies two GOP candidates strongly own base of white men and
agenda in generations. repeatedly declared that the have seized on some snippets support him. Perdue on Tues- voters beyond the core of
November elections were of Warnock’s sermons at the day said that Trump would metro Atlanta.
Republicans were unified plagued by cheating that Re- historic Black church to cast “of course" deserve credit if
against Biden's plans for publican officials, including him as extreme. Dozens of the Republicans won. In downtown Atlanta, Henry
health care, environmental his former attorney general religious and civil rights lead- Dave Chambliss, 67, voted
protection and civil rights, and Georgia’s elections chief, ers have pushed back. “What the president said last for the two Republicans. He
but some feared that out- say did not occur. The other election pitted night is, even if you are upset said he wants Republicans to
going President Donald Democrats must win both 71-year-old former business about all of that, you’ve got to keep Senate control to ensure
Trump's brazen attempts to of the state's Senate elections executive David Perdue, who stand up with us and fight," the incoming Biden admin-
undermine the integrity of to gain the Senate majority. held the Senate seat until his Perdue told “Fox & Friends.” istration doesn’t slide “all the
the nation's voting systems In that scenario, the Senate term officially expired on "We’ll look back on this day if way to the left.”
might discourage voters in would be equally divided 50- Sunday, against Democrat we don’t vote and really rue “I’m moderately successful
Georgia. 50 with Vice President-elect Ossoff, a former congressio- the day that we turned the and I know they will come af-
State election officials re- Kamala Harris serving as the nal aide and journalist. At just keys to the kingdom over to ter more of my money which
ported light turnout Tuesday tie-breaker for Democrats. 33 years old, Ossoff would be the Democrats.” I’ve earned,” Chambliss
morning, including in the The Democrats secured a the Senate’s youngest mem- Loeffler pledged Monday said. “I was born a Southern
deeply conservative north- narrow House majority and ber if elected. He first rose to to join a small but growing Democrat, and I just hope
west region where Trump the White House during No- national prominence in 2017 number of GOP senators and pray that some moderate
held a rally Monday night vember's general election. when he launched an unsuc- protesting Congress' expect- voices are heard and things
to encourage GOP voters to Georgia’s January elections, cessful House special elec- ed certification of Biden's stay more in the middle of
turn out in force. There were necessary because no Senate tion bid. victory Wednesday. the road.”
virtually no lines at polling candidates received a majority Even a closely divided Dem- Democrats have hammered
sites statewide, with voters of the general-election votes, ocratic Senate wouldn't Perdue and Loeffler, each Beverly McDaniel cast her
waiting only about five min- have been unique for many guarantee Biden everything among the Senate's wealthiest ballot Tuesday morning amid
utes to cast ballots, said Dep- reasons, not least because the he wants, given chamber members, for conspicuously light turnout at a neighbor-
uty Secretary of State Jordan contenders essentially ran as rules that require 60 votes timed personal stock trades hood center’s gymnasium in
Fuchs. teams, even campaigning to- to move most major legisla- after members of Congress Atlanta. She voted for both
More than 3 million Geor- gether sometimes. tion. But if Democrats lose received information about Democrats, saying she be-
gians had voted early either One contest featured Demo- even one of Tuesday's con- the public health and eco- lieves they would do better
by mail or during in-person crat Raphael Warnock, who tests, Biden would have little nomic threats of COVID-19 dealing with the hardships
voting in December. The serves as the senior pastor shot for swift up-or-down as Trump and Republicans wrought by the coronavirus.
robust early turnout was ex- of the Atlanta church where votes on his most ambitious downplayed the pandemic. “Our kids are not fully, fully
pected to benefit Democrats, slain civil rights leader Mar- plans to expand government- None of the trades has been in school like they’re sup-
as it helped Biden in Novem- tin Luther King Jr. grew up backed health care coverage, found to violate the law or posed to be and people don’t
ber become the first Demo- and preached. The 51-year- strengthen the middle class, Senate ethics, but Warnock have jobs,” said McDaniel,
cratic presidential candidate old Warnock was raised in address racial inequality and and Ossoff have cast the Re- a medical field worker. She
to win Georgia since 1992. public housing and spent combat climate change. A publicans as self-interested said the virus “is taking over
“This is history unfolding in most of his adult life preach- Republican-controlled Sen- and out of touch. where we should have the
Georgia right now,” Jon Os- ing in Baptist churches. ate also would create a rough- Perdue and Loeffler have government taking over in-
soff, one of Georgia's two Warnock was facing Repub- er path for Biden's Cabinet answered by lambasting the stead.”