Here’s What You Need to Know About the Senate Runoffs in Georgia

What is going on in Georgia?

When candidates do not reach the required majority of votes, election runoffs are consequently held, which is now the case of a much divided Georgia that continues to play a major role in defining the overall outcome.

This is a double runoff, with Sen. David Perdue (R) challenged by Jon Ossoff (D) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) against Rev. Raphael Warnock (D).

Why is it important?

Georgia will define the future of the Senate.

If Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win both Georgia races they will achieve a 50-50 tie in the chamber and flip the majority once Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn in.

If this happens, President-elect Joe Biden will have little to no obstacles in pushing his ambitious agenda including healthcare, the environment and COVID stimulus packages.

Since Republicans have control of the Senate at present, just one win on either GOP candidate would allow them to maintain their control on the upper chamber.

What are the polls saying so far?

Several polls are forecasting a Democratic win, such as FiveThrityEight currently showing Democrat Jon Ossoff ahead of Republican Sen. David Perdue by 1.8 percentage points and Democrat Raphael Warnock also in the lead, surpassing Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler by 2.1 percentage points.

Most of the polling however, is based on early voting that tends to favor Democrats, meaning strong Republican turnout in Election Day could be significantly important.  

What can we expect?

This is the endgame and the last opportunity this election cycle for Republicans to ensure influence on the next administration.

Nonetheless, many have said President Donald Trump’s actions claiming fraud and attacking fellow Georgian Republicans that have not sided with him will ultimately favor Democrats in this runoff.