Georgia’s Republican senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, know that their fates are tied – both to each other and to the greater fate of the U.S. Senate (and by extension, the fate of the United States over the course of the next two years, at least). Standing at the gates of history, the two candidates are taking a unique and unorthodox approach to their respective runoff races: They are uniting in the face of Democrat opposition, which is sure to be well-funded, celebrity-driven, and media-supported.
From NBC News:
Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are appearing in videos together, releasing statements together and, on Friday, they held a joint rally in this city outside Atlanta.
After running different styles of campaigns, Perdue and Loeffler are heading into the January 5 runoffs with a new tactic to try to keep the Senate in GOP hands: joining forces and presenting themselves to Georgia voters as a unity ticket.
The senators are walking a fine line with their message, careful not to contradict President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede defeat. But the subtext is clear: Joe Biden will be president and advance a progressive agenda — but only if Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win the two Georgia Senate seats that would give their party control of the Senate.
At an appearance with both Perdue and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida last week, Loeffler told voters about the importance of victory.
“We have a battle on our hands right now, folks,” she said. “It’s going to be a long one. We are the firewall. Not just for the Senate, but the future of our country. We will be your voice in Washington if you’re our voice on January 5.”
In remarks of his own, Perdue said that the key to winning in January was to motivate voters.
“What we have to do is not persuade people. What we have to do is get the vote out,” he said.
Winning both of these Senate races will give Republicans a comfortable, if thin, majority. Winning one and losing the other is still a win, and it will give Mitch McConnell the room he needs to oppose the Biden/Pelosi agenda. But losing both would be a disaster. While it would only tie the Senate at 50/50, the tiebreaker would come in the form of the vice president: In all likelihood, that means Kamala Harris. In other words, it’s a majority without actually being a majority, and it’s every bit as dangerous for the country. These races are therefore extremely important, and Republicans need to pull out all the stops to win them.
