The eyes of the political universe will turn to Georgia this weekend, as the voter registration deadline for January’s Senate runoffs approaches.
The focus on Georgia comes as the state is ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. It reported its highest number of cases in a single day on Friday — 5,023 — and saw the postponement of the Georgia-Vanderbilt football game partially because of Covid-19. Trump is faced with the task of motivating his own supporters to vote for the two Republican senators after he undermined their faith in the electoral process by falsely decrying that his election was rigged. Since his loss in Georgia to President-elect Joe Biden, Trump has attacked top Republican officials in the state, including Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Kemp certified the results of Biden’s victory, while Raffensperger has vociferously defended the state’s election integrity. The President’s continued refusal to concede has worried Republicans determined to prevent Democratic control of the Senate. A group of prominent Georgia Republicans, including former Gov. Nathan Deal and former Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, released a statement this week urging the party to unify, and shift its attention to electing Loeffler and Perdue.
