Republicans have secured 50 seats in the next U.S. Senate compared to Democrats’ 48 (including two independents who caucus with them). Control of the next Senate comes down to Georgia’s runoff elections. In The Runoff Report, we provide the latest on each race and the fight for Senate control.
Regular election updates
David Perdue started his “Early Vote Tour” in Glynn County Dec. 14. Former Gov. Sonny Perdue (R), David’s cousin, joined him in Macon and Albany. The senator also stopped in Savannah, Augusta, Dalton, and Atlanta. Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) joined him in Augusta.
Jon Ossoff‘s campaign is hosting a virtual “Women to Women Friendbanking” event with actress Emmy Rossum tonight.
This election is for a full six-year term ending January 2027. Perdue was first elected in 2014. Ossoff ran against Karen Handel (R) in the 6th Congressional District special election in 2017.
Click here for more coverage of the regular election.
Special election updates
Kelly Loeffler campaigned in Henry and Monroe counties with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) Dec. 14.
Raphael Warnock released new profile frames supporters can add to their social media profile pictures.
The special election will fill the remainder of the term Johnny Isakson (R) won in 2016. He resigned in Dec. 2019, and Gov. Brian Kemp (R) appointed Loeffler, co-owner of the WNBA team Atlanta Dream. Warnock is senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The winner will complete the term ending in January 2023.
Click here for more coverage of the special election.
Overall campaign updates
- President-elect Joe Biden will hold a drive-in rally today in Atlanta. Ossoff, Warnock, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D), and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) will be in attendance.
According to NBC News, a Biden transition official said, “The president-elect will echo his message of unity and a battle for the soul of the nation that led to him getting 81 million votes across the country — more than any presidential candidate in history — and becoming the first Democrat in decades to win the state of Georgia during a presidential election.”
- Loeffler and Perdue published an op-ed in The Washington Times. They wrote, in part:
Instead of shutting down the economy, we will continue to lower taxes and create jobs. Instead of taking away private health insurance, we will fight for more affordable health care that covers pre-existing conditions. And instead of eliminating individual choice in areas like education, we will work to ensure school choice for parents and students alike.
Above all else, we will always fight back against those who wish to impose dangerous agendas and turn America into a socialist nation.
- The New York Times‘ Nate Cohn tweeted that the first day of early in-person voting set a turnout record at 168,000, up from 136,000 on the first day of early voting for the Nov. 3 election.
Today: Part 2 – Special election vote shares by county
Last Thursday, we showed you which counties favored Ossoff and Perdue on Nov. 3. Today, we’re featuring plurality winners (those who received the most votes, but not necessarily more than half the votes) in each county in the special election. Twenty candidates ran in the election, and either Loeffler, Warnock, or Doug Collins (R) received a plurality in each county.
Blue shades on the map below represent counties where Warnock won a plurality. Red shades represent Loeffler’s plurality counties. Collins’ plurality counties are orange. Darker shades of each color represent a higher percentage of votes.
Click here to see the map on our website, where you can hover over each county to see the three candidates’ vote shares.