The runoff election taking place in Georgia on January 5 will determine the legislative ability of the Democrats for the next two years: President-elect Joe Biden will either have the power to enact major policy changes supported by a unified government or be blocked due to a gridlock in Congress; this all comes down to which party will control the U.S. Senate come inauguration day.
The Republicans currently control 53 out of 100 seats, having lost one seat on election night. Ideally, the Democrats win both of the remaining seats, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris breaks the 50-50 tie in the Senate. But, if the Republicans keep just one seat, Senate Republicans will be able to block any major legislation proposed by Biden or congressional Democrats.
However, with the way that the Senate debates went on December 4, they’ll be sending two Democrats to the Senate soon enough.
The “debate” between Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff and Republican incumbent Senator David Perdue was not quite what our anxious nation was anticipating, thanks in large part to Perdue’s absence. Yes, Ossoff answered questions from the moderators next to an empty podium.
Despite remaining active on social media as well as on the campaign trail, Perdue is yet to issue a statement explaining why he skipped the debate.
Ossoff certainly took advantage of the incumbent’s absence during the debate, claiming that Perdue feared a poor debate performance would lessen his chances of winning. Ossoff’s consistent reminder of his opponent’s absence was effective, but not quite necessary: the empty podium spoke more than enough for the people of Georgia.
As Ossoff answered questions alone on stage, another showdown was occurring between Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock and governor-appointed Republican incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler. Both Loeffler and Warnock discussed their youth and the difficult journey to their current positions, presumably to empathize with Georgians suffering from economic setbacks.
Senator David Perdue was absent from Georgia Senate debate. Photo courtesy of The Slate
To the dismay of Republicans, Loeffler’s debate performance was not optimal, considering the tenuous status of the Republicans after Biden’s presidential win. Rather than vouching for herself, Ms. Loeffler spent the debate fear-mongering about what would happen if Georgians elected Warnock, referring to him as a “radical liberal” a total of 13 times, by my count.
What’s more, Loeffler dodged questions related to the presidential election, refusing to admit Biden’s victory and instead repeating over and over that President Donald Trump P’00 has the right to take legal action.
In stark contrast, Warnock did not smear Loeffler’s name with labels. Instead, he criticized her past policy proposals and how she allegedly used her wealth to claim her seat. Warnock also spoke specifically about his own policy ideas, emphasizing the importance of medical care and financial relief during the coronavirus pandemic.
Debates, with some exceptions, tend not to dramatically shift the tide of elections. However, I believe that a debate that went this poorly for Republicans will have an impact on voter decisions — one that spells trouble for Republicans in the Senate.
Although Georgia is historically a red state and both Loeffler and Perdue have incumbency advantage, the wave of voters who came out to win Biden the 16 electoral votes are not likely to stay home while Trumpism continues to permeate parts of the government.
