The importance of the Georgia Runoff Elections and why you need to VOTE

Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face competitive challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively.

Republicans have won 50 Senate seats, while Democrats have flipped one net seat for a total of 48. If Democrats win both Georgia races, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tiebreaking vote, giving the party unified control of the White House and Congress.

“The stakes in this election could not be higher: a vote for Jon Ossoff is a vote to hand power to Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats in Washington,” said Perdue campaign manager Ben Fry. “Georgians won’t let that happen.”

Former Georgia GOP Rep. Jack Kingston told CNN that that prospect would be good for the Loeffler and Perdue campaigns. Kingston said that keeping the Senate in Republican control “would be a motivator” for Peach State voters.”Americans like a balance,” he said.

Georgia hasn’t elected a Democratic senator in 20 years. But Democrats have new reasons for optimism, given Biden’s increasingly strong performance in the state, 800,000 new voters registered in the last two years and the rapidly diversifying Atlanta suburbs. And unlike in November, Trump won’t be on the ticket, potentially reducing GOP turnout.

The date for federal, state, and local races is January 5.