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The Canadian press
One pandemic, two different worlds in Georgia’s ballot competitions
BUENA VISTA, Ga. – On the grounds of a South Georgia courthouse, dozens of masked and socially distanced voters bowed their heads in prayer for the more than 260,000 Americans who died of the coronavirus, then Democratic Senate promising Raphael Warnock took the microphone , vowing to push for more economic aid for businesses and people affected by the pandemic, and touting democratic plans to combat the longstanding racial and wealth disparities highlighted by the crisis. The day before, Vice President Mike Pence campaigned with Warnock’s opponent, Senator Kelly Loeffler and his fellow Republican Senator, David Perdue. But in heavily republican northern Georgia, there were only few mentions of the public health calamity that helped lead to President Donald Trump’s defeat: aid programs approved by Congress months ago and a vaccine that’s still weeks – or months – away. from mass distribution. “At the end of this year, we will see 40 million vaccines across America,” Pence predicted, attributing the possibility to “President Donald Trump’s leadership.” His crowd – spaced only in a few sections of seating and many wore no masks – roared when the vice president added a kicker: “We’re in the miracle business.” They are two completely different worlds on display in Georgia, where the national political spotlight is on the two Senate ballots that will determine which party controls the chamber at the start of the Democratic administration of President-elect Joe Biden. Republicans need another seat to get a majority; Democrats need a scrutiny on January 5th. the pandemic is secondary in a runoff blitz defined by dire warnings about what it would mean if Warnock defeats Loeffler and Perdue falls on Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. Democrats, meanwhile, are more than eager to discuss COVID-19 and its economic fallout. The messaging differences also bleed to the public health protocols of the two sides. The approaches largely follow the fall presidential campaign, when Trump wanted to talk about everything but the virus, while Biden’s November results in Georgia explain why neither side is deviating. Biden cut Trump in the state with less than 13,000 votes out of over 5 million votes. But Perdue led Ossoff by around 100,000 votes, finishing just before the absolute majority required by Georgia to avoid a ballot. Warnock led Loeffler in a separate special election. Both sides share a common conclusion: each party has a pool of potential voters approaching 2.5 million. It’s just a question of which side can convince the most to vote in a second round. Retaliation by Republicans will still depend – in part – on generating excitement through in-person campaigns, even as coronavirus cases soar nationwide. Trump announced plans for a December 5 rally in Georgia, after weeks of speculation that he would come amid his continued refusal to concede to Biden. As with the president’s October rallies blitz, there’s no suggestion that his event in Georgia will include social distancing or require masks, as recommended by public health officials Neither Perdue nor Loeffler echoes the mockery of president of public health standards. But so far in the runoff campaign, they’ve held multiple indoor events with no social detachment and no mandatory masks. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, appearing with Loeffler, lured hundreds of suburban Republicans to the Cobb County GOP headquarters, surprising organizers and crowding the facility to the point that some voters left without attempting to enter. a restaurant on the outskirts of Cumming for an event with both Georgia incumbents. Days later, Scott said he tested positive for COVID-19 and was exposed the same day he traveled to Georgia. Loeffler later also announced her positive test, although consecutive negative tests followed in the following days, leading her to finish a brief quarantine. and the Ossoff counter with almost exclusively outdoor or virtual campaigns. Warnock has, however, held outdoor photo sessions that don’t involve social distancing. “We haven’t seen any real national public mourning because it’s the kind of death that doesn’t come in one fell swoop,” Warnock told Reynolds, where he campaigned under an outdoor picnic shed. “We don’t see real recognition of what is happening. … Meanwhile, we are discussing science. Is wearing a mask in some way a political statement? No, it is not a political statement. It’s common sense. Ossoff launched the second round of campaigning with a state drive-in rally tour similar to those used by Biden after Labor Day. Ossoff went into solitary confinement in July after his wife, a gynecologist, contracted COVID. 19. His announcements often show him greeting masked voters. The two Democrats also criticized Loeffler and Perdue for timely stock exchanges after a series of private Congressional briefings on the then burgeoning pandemic. “While you were taking refuge, she was protecting her,” Warnock said in Buena Vista. A recent announcement by Ossoff claims Perdue “profited from the pandemic” instead of “preparing our country”. Senate ethics officials and the Department of Justice found no legal wrongdoing in the Georgia senator’s financial business. tried to reconnect Perdue’s loyalty to Trump to the pandemic. The president spent weeks making unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in Georgia and other battlefield states that Biden won, without Perdue disputing the claims. Trump’s dragging on an orderly transition, Ossoff said in an interview, hindered Biden’s ability to organize a government-wide coronavirus. “What Senator Perdue should do, if he had the best interests of the people at heart and not his only, “Ossoff told the Associated Press,” is to encourage the president to acknowledge reality. ” ___ Associated Press writer Ben Nadler contributed to this Atlanta report, Bill Barrow, The Associated Press
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