The Importance Of The Georgia Senate Runoff

After months of anticipation, campaigning, and voting, the 2020 Presidential election was finally decided in favor of Joe Biden. Despite countless and baseless disputes from the Trump administration questioning the validity of the results, the Electoral College officially selected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as President-elect and Vice President-elect, respectively, last week. Although this victory was a massive win for Democracy in the face of an authoritarian candidate, the future of the United States’ government is still in the balance. Due to the nature of the Senate elections, it’s still undetermined which party will control this vital role in the system, as the Georgia Senate Election in November has led to two separate runoffs. These runoffs will end on January 5th, and Joe Biden’s ability to pass meaningful legislation will be determined. These are two incredibly important elections.

The standard election is between Jon Ossoff and incumbent David Perdue, and the special election is between Reverend Raphael Warnock and Trump-appointee Kelly Loeffler. Ossoff gained national notoriety for his campaign against Karen Handel, and Warnock picked up some popularity from the viral nature of his sermons. While neither of these candidates are legislatively progressive by any means, they are significantly more in-line with progressive sentiment than their Republican counterparts.

To put it simply: David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler both knowingly profited off of the coronavirus pandemic. Insider trading and intentional misinformation allowed these two to make money off of stocks related to COVID-19 related companies, all while downplaying the pandemic’s severity to encourage a premature reopening of businesses in Georgia, where the pandemic has run rampant. As coronavirus numbers continue to rise uncontrollably prior to the wide release of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, this election could allow a Democratic majority in the Senate, which would provide much-needed relief to families and businesses before the pandemic ends. The next stimulus package has left many bewildered and disappointed, as it will send only $600 after months of no government assistance - not nearly enough to call meaningful relief.

A Republican-controlled Senate would create gridlock for the first two years of the Biden administration. A Democratically-controlled Senate would protect Civil Rights, work toward solving the coronavirus pandemic, and help Americans move toward progress and equality. Any Georgians who have not yet voted should do so, as high voter turnout has historically helped the Democratic Party. Polls are indicating a slight Democratic lead, but I'll believe it when I see it. We must win this thing. Thanks for reading.