Voters have set a record for the first phase of voting in the crucial special elections that have the eyes of the nation upon Georgia.
Three million people voted early, according to the University of Florida’s U.S. Elections Project, Reuters reported.
Early voting ended Friday for the two special elections in which Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler face Democratic opponents Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock.
The stakes of the contest are high. If Republicans win one or both contests, they will hold a majority in the upper chamber. If Democrats win both races, the Senate would be spilt 50-50.
Presumptive Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would then represent the tie-breaking vote in votes that require a majority, such as confirmations. Filibuster rules mean that 60 votes would still be needed to cut off debate and vote.
The early vote total amounts to 38.8 percent of Georgia’s registered voters, according to the U.S. Elections Project. In a 2008 Senate runoff, 2.1 million people voted.
According to WSB-TV, early voting turnout has been highest in areas of the state dominated by Democrats, while the lowest early voting numbers were posted in Republican strongholds.
However, as Newsweek reported, Perdue and President Donald Trump won 60 percent of in-person votes that were cast on Election Day.
Of course, the Dems needed and expected to do better in the early vote, given holidays and fewer mail absentees. And anything can happen on Election Day.
But still, this was a prerequisite to a stronger Democratic turnout and that's probably prerequisite to a Dem win— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) January 1, 2021
I expect a larger election day vote than most of the tweets I see on this website. The GOP will win it big. And we'll have to wait and see https://t.co/EIg6Ens3Kt
— Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) January 1, 2021
Both sides are sending big names to the state in the coming days. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will headline two separate Monday rallies. Harris and presumptive President-elect Joe Biden are also planning Sunday trips to the state, according to ABC News.
Perdue will be missing from the sprint to the finish. The incumbent senator will be in quarantine after coming in contact with a campaign staffer who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Loeffler beat the turnout drum at a New Year’s Eve event.
“I need you to call five friends, family members, coworkers, frenemies — whatever. Five calls or texts today about voting will keep the liberals away. That’s right. Five calls a day keeps the liberals away,” she said.
Loeffler this week attacked Ossoff after the Democrat claimed that she campaigned with a member of the KKK because of a selfie of the senator taken with Chester Doles, a white supremacist and neo-Nazi.
“Every Georgian knows that Jon Ossoff is a pathological liar. And he’s a trust-fund socialist who’s never had a job, other than through the Chinese Communist Party,” Loeffler said, referencing allegations that Ossoff did business with a company linked to China’s Community Party.
“If he’s going to bring up lies about who I’m campaigning with, I’m going to talk about the truth about who he’s campaigning with,” she added.
“He’s campaigning with Raphael Warnock, who has a past with child abuse and domestic abuse, who has celebrated Jeremiah Wright, Karl Marx, Fidel Castro, James Cone, Louis Farrakhan. He’s attacked our police, our military. He’s attacked Israel, small businesses and every single Georgian.”