Prayer sessions, bus rides to remote locations, and even a Stevie Wonder concert. These are some of the last-minute activities candidates are taking to mobilize voters in Georgia’s runoff election, which will elect Tuesday’s final permanent seat in the U.S. Senate, whose result will decide whether the Democrats will win or not. a majority in that chamber — eliminating the need for a casting vote for Vice President Kamala Harris — or Republicans winning the seat and thus more influence in President Joseph Biden’s administration.
Interest in the battle between Reverend Baptist Raphael Warnock, a Democratic candidate and current Senator, and Republican Herschel Walker, a former football star, is growing. More than 1.8 million citizens in a state of 10 million voted before Friday’s deadline. The first auction, on November 8, broke participation records: 2.5 million people voted in advance.
At stake is the 100th seat in the Senate. The Democrats already have 50 seats, half of them. This gives them control of the House of Lords, but for that they must rely on the crucial voice of the Vice President. Another seat, making the result 51-49, would give them more voting space and more power in the legislative committees. On the other hand, a victory for Republicans, who already have a majority in the Chamber of Deputies, would oblige Democrats to always mobilize all of their senators, even the most rebellious ones, to level all votes and defeat them with the Harris franchise.
The panorama seems closer than ever in this state, a former Republican stronghold and now growing in importance thanks to a thriving economy that serves as a magnet to attract youth and minorities. Polls indicate a slight lead for Warnock, a Democrat, not enough to overcome the margin of error. The pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Church, where civil rights leader Martin Luther King preached, gained an early vote advantage after admitting both Republicans and Democrats.
The question is whether Walker can offset this advantage on Election Day, Tuesday, June 6. In the first round, the former athlete received 220,000 more votes than his rival on Election Day, a total of 56% of the votes cast. that day, according to official data from the Secretary of State of Georgia. Warnock ultimately won thanks to an early vote that gave him a 54% lead over his opponent’s 44%, despite not getting the full 50% majority needed to avoid a runoff.
The senator devoted Sunday to preaching at his church and this Monday he will participate in a meeting at a university center. Walker, 51, opted for a series of small gatherings as part of his statewide bus tour. He will end his campaign in conservative areas of northern Georgia.
Warnock was able to mobilize heavyweights to support him. Former US President Barack Obama attended a rally where he criticized Walker for considering him too small for the stature required to hold a Senate seat. On Sunday, Stevie Wonder organized a concert in his honor.
scandals and allegations
Walker, for his part, was buoyed by the support of popular Republican governor Brian Kemp, who kept his distance during the first campaign. Walker’s campaign was plagued with scandals and allegations of assault against women and payment for abortions. This candidate also based his campaign on his position against voluntary abortion.
Given the expected close result, every vote counts. And the candidates are trying to mobilize this in every possible way. It is no longer a question of convincing the doubters: after months of campaigning, almost everyone knows who they support. The main thing is to mobilize the respective bases and get them to vote.
Warnock said he was “encouraged to participate in the poll ahead of time”, but urged his supporters not to rest on their laurels at the last minute and to continue calling, messaging and home visits so that there is Tuesday as many people as possible could come. Choose from. “Don’t start dancing until you’ve made it,” he warned at one rally.
Phones — and TV billboards — smoke in this Georgia home section, with calls and messages from both parties and related organizations encouraging people to go to the polls despite the rain forecasts.
In terms of funding, Warnock has the upper hand in what is already the most expensive battle of this year’s US general election, costing $400 million (about $380 million at current exchange rates). The senator’s campaign spent about $43 million on campaign advertising, while Walker spent about $28 million, according to OpenSecrets, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to scrutinizing election money.
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
