ATLANTA – Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is threatening to carry Georgia, while Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Jon Ossoff likely will force a runoff against Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue.
President Donald Trump’s lead over Biden in the Peach State had shriveled to just 9,426 votes by late Thursday, with 36,331 votes remaining to be counted statewide.
While Perdue held a much larger advantage over Ossoff – more than 100,000 votes – the one-term incumbent’s share of the vote had fallen to 49.95%, just below the 50%-plus-one margin required under Georgia law to avoid a runoff.
Trump held a huge lead of 372,000 votes over Biden in Georgia at midnight on Election Night. But that margin melted away on Wednesday and Thursday as elections workers continued counting mail-in ballots.
In Georgia and across the country, mail-in voting has been dominated by Democrats wary of waiting in long Election Day lines in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Also, Trump repeatedly cast aspersions at the integrity of the mail-in voting process during campaign rallies and urged his supporters to show up at the polls and cast their ballots in person.
A Georgia judge ruled against a lawsuit claiming elections officials in Chatham County mishandled 53 mail-in ballots.
Officials in Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office stood by the integrity of the elections process across Georgia.
“We have 159 dedicated election supervisors and their staffs working to get this right,” Gabriel Sterling, voting systems manager in the secretary of state’s office, said during a mid-afternoon news conference. “They’re going to get it right. We’re going to have an audit to prove they got it right.”
With Georgia among just a handful of states still in play, its 16 electoral votes are critical to either presidential candidate’s chances.
A Biden victory in Georgia would represent a huge upset. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state was Bill Clinton in 1992. Georgia has been reliably Republican in statewide contests since the early 2000s.
Meanwhile, Democratic mail-in votes also reduced Perdue’s lead over Ossoff to the point the GOP incumbent likely will face the Democrat again in a runoff. That would put both of Georgia’s Senate seats up for grabs on Jan. 5, .with Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler defending her seat against Democrat Raphael Warnock.
That would put Georgia in the national spotlight for weeks after this week’s votes are counted. The results in Georgia could determine whether Republicans keep their majority in the Senate or Democrats wrest control.
The tightening of the presidential and Senate contests in Georgia also could result in a runoff for one or even two open seats on the state Public Service Commission (PSC).
By late Thursday, Republican Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald’s share of the statewide vote against Democrat Daniel Blackman was down to 50.11%. GOP Commissioner Jason Shaw was leading Democrat Robert Bryant with 50.32% of the vote, making it less likely but still possible a runoff might be needed to decide that race.
ATLANTA – First-time unemployment claims in Georgia continued to decline last week, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.
More than 37,000 Georgians filed claims last week, down 6,442 from the week before.
The agency paid out more than $170 million in benefits during the week, bringing to $15.5 billion the total benefits paid in Georgia since the coronavirus pandemic began shutting down businesses last March, more than during the last 28 years combined.
The labor department also reported more than 25,000 Georgians are about to hit the 39-week limit for benefits provided through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Congress passed in March.
The program provides unemployment benefits to Americans who are not usually eligible for regular state benefits, including gig workers, independent contractors, employees of churches and non-profits, or those with limited work history who don’t qualify for regular state unemployment benefits.
“The PUA program issued benefits to many in the self-employed community allowing these individuals to recoup a portion of the wages lost when their businesses had to shut down due to the pandemic,” Georgia Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler said.
“Federal programs, like PUA and other disaster-related programs, are intended to temporarily provide support for those displaced during a crisis. Never before have we seen a federal program rolled out on a nationwide scale within such a demanding time frame to so many people.”
The job sector accounting for the most initial unemployment claims last week was accommodation and food services, with 7,869 claims. The administrative and support services sector was next with 4,194 claims, followed by health care and social assistance with 3,490.
More than 168,000 jobs are listed online at EmployGeorgia for Georgians to access, more than double last April’s listing of 73,000 jobs. The labor department offers online resources for finding careers, building a resume, and assisting with other reemployment needs.
Georgia Republicans have maintained their grip on the state House of Representatives and ousted its leading Democrat after a years-long push by Democrats to flip the chamber fell short in the 2020 general elections.
With several thousand ballots remaining to be counted statewide Thursday, Georgia Democrats had so far only gained one new seat in the Republican-controlled House – far short of the 16 seats needed to flip the chamber.
House Minority Leader Bob Trammell, D-Luthersville, was also turned out of his rural district seat southwest of Atlanta after state and national Republicans pumped millions of dollars into defeating him.
Republicans also fended off challenges to several suburban Atlanta lawmakers to lock down the state Senate and ensure they will oversee the coveted redistricting process next summer.
Democrats were hoping to build on the 13 state House seats they flipped in the 2018 midterm elections and take control of a General Assembly chamber that has stayed in Republican hands since 2005. But Republican incumbents from Savannah to Athens to the Atlanta suburbs batted them back, said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia.
“It was not the night [Democrats] were hoping for,” Bullock said. “They didn’t come up completely empty-handed but the movement in the Democratic direction dramatically slowed down from what we saw two years ago.”
As of Thursday, Democratic candidates were poised to flip two seats held by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Brett Harrell, R-Snellville, and state Rep. Dale Rutledge, R-McDonough. And they trailed by fewer than 1,000 votes in six other races with more than 60,000 ballots left to be counted across the state.
But the loss of one of their most prominent voices in Trammell marked a resounding victory for Republicans that state and national leaders trumpeted as proof a so-called “blue wave” of Democratic wins in Georgia had been halted.
“Georgia voters punished Bob Trammell yesterday for the Democratic Party’s irrational opposition to legislation that would have protected first responders from terroristic intimidation,” said David Shafer, chair of the Georgia Republican Party. “Democrats have so thoroughly embraced the ‘defund the police’ agenda they refuse to protect firefighters, ambulance drivers and paramedics.”
Trammell, who helped roll out a legislative package of criminal justice reforms in July amid nationwide protests against police brutality, was targeted as the only Democratic lawmaker holding a rural seat in Georgia that had long gone to Republicans.
The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), a national group focused on state legislative races, devoted nearly $3 million to hold Georgia seats including $1 million to support Trammell challenger David Jenkins, a U.S. Army veteran and air ambulance helicopter pilot.
“Georgia’s Republican leadership has been second-to-none, never giving up the fight to ensure safety and economic security for every Georgian,” said Austin Chambers, the RSLC’s president. “We could not be more proud to have been on the front lines of defending this Republican majority.”
With control of both chambers, Republican state lawmakers are poised to dominate the upcoming process to redraw district boundaries following completion of the 2020 Census last month. The political party in charge of that process could tweak the boundaries in their favor to capture potentially decisive voting blocs for the next decade.
Despite falling short of their goal, state Democratic leaders saw progress in recruiting so many new candidates to challenge Republican incumbents and pointed to future elections as more opportunities to take control of the House.
“It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of so many organizers, volunteers and candidates that more Republicans than ever were forced to play defense this year,” said Maggie Chambers, a Democratic Party of Georgia spokeswoman. “Thanks to them, Georgia Democrats have built a lasting infrastructure across the state that will continue to give Georgians a choice for years to come on who will represent them and their values.”
ATLANTA – About 60,000 ballots remained to be counted in Georgia Thursday morning, two days after voters went to the polls, an official with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office said.
That’s down from about 200,000 ballots that were still uncounted the day before.
“Fast is great, and we appreciate fast,” Gabriel Sterling, the voting system manager for the secretary of state’s office, told reporters during a news conference at the Georgia Capitol. “We more appreciate accuracy.”
Since the votes now being counted are mail-in ballots, President Donald Trump’s once healthy lead over Democratic challenger Joe Biden in Georgia is continuing to shrink. With the Republican president urging his supporters to vote in-person during the weeks leading up to Election Day, most of the absentee ballots are coming from Democrats.
As the Trump-Biden contest in Georgia continues to tighten, Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s lead over Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff also keeps shrinking. Perdue’s share of the vote was down to 50.03% on Thursday morning, barely the 50%-plus-one margin needed to avoid a January runoff.
Sterling said the time it’s taking to count Georgia’s absentee ballots is due in part to the state’s elections system, which relies on county elections offices.“
Some are more resourced than others,” he said.Sterling also noted that Georgia is using paper ballots for the first time in 20 years. Like other states, Georgia elections offices also are grappling with an unprecedented volume of mail-in ballots from voters who were wary of waiting in long Election Day lines during the midst of a global pandemic.
Chatham County accounts for 17,157 of the ballots remaining to be counted, followed by Fulton County with 11,200 still out. Clayton County is next with 7,408 uncounted ballots, followed by Gwinnett County with about 7,300 still out.
With the margins in Georgia so close, Sterling said provisional ballots and absentee ballots sent in by military personnel from overseas could factor into the results.
“We’re going to make sure every lawful ballot is counted,” he said.As of Thursday morning, Trump held a razor-thin lead over Biden in Georgia, 49.57% to 49.20%. With results in just a handful of states still uncertain, capturing Georgia’s 16 electoral votes would go a long way toward putting either candidate over the top.
Perdue was still leading Ossoff by more than two points – 50.03% to 47.66%. But due to Georgia’s runoff requirements, Perdue can’t afford much more slippage if he wants to win a second Senate term outright.
“If overtime is required when all of the votes have been counted, we’re ready, and we will win,” the Perdue campaign said Thursday. “It is clear that more Georgians believe that David Perdue’s positive vision for the future direction of our country is better than [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer’s radical socialist agenda.”
Ossoff predicted there will be runoff to decide the contest.
“When a runoff is called and held in January, Georgians are going to send Jon to the Senate to defend their health care and put the interests of working families and small businesses ahead of corporate lobbyists,” said Ellen Foster, Ossoff’s campaign manager. “Georgians are sick and tired of the endless failure, incompetence and corruption of Senator Perdue and Donald Trump.”
Sterling said he hopes ballot counting in Georgia will be completed by the end of Thursday.
Lines were sparse outside the Cobb County Regional Library voter precinct through noon on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020. (Photo by Beau Evans)
Around 200,000 ballots remain to be counted in Georgia after a hotly anticipated election Tuesday that saw record-breaking turnout fueled by mail-in and early votes.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he is pushing for several counties with largely mail-in ballots still uncounted to wrap up work by the end of Wednesday.
“Every legal vote will count,” Raffensperger said in a news conference Wednesday morning.
Georgia’s 16 electoral votes hang in the balance with President Donald Trump leading former Vice President Joe Biden in the state by about 100,000 votes as of noon Wednesday. With several states still counting ballots, the presidential contest so far is too close to call.
The remaining uncounted ballots could also influence the contest between U.S. Sen. David Perdue and Jon Ossoff, who as of noon Wednesday trailed Perdue by about 185,000 votes and was close to forcing a runoff in January.
With national attention fixed squarely on a handful of too-close-to-call states including Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Raffensperger said Wednesday he feels confident the few counties with uncounted ballots will finish tallying quickly.
“We’ll be off everyone’s radar and they’ll be worrying about the states up north,” Raffensperger said.
The bulk of uncounted ballots are located in DeKalb, Fulton and Forsyth counties, with most being absentee ballots that arrived Monday and Tuesday, Raffensperger said. Those counties were swamped with mail-in votes despite being able to start processing absentee ballots two weeks ago, he said.
State election officials will start auditing election results on Friday and have until Nov. 13 to certify all results, Raffensperger said.
Beyond the uncertainty in the presidential and Senate races, Raffensperger noted elections ran smoothly throughout the state with short wait times on Election Day and droves of voters casting ballots during the three-week early voting period and by mail.
Nearly 4 million Georgians had voted before Election Day even started, which Raffensperger said helped ease pressure on county officials and poll workers to manage polling places safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We held an election that was a safe, sensible and responsible election for every eligible voter to access,” Raffensperger said. “Your vote counts.”
