Perdue, Ossoff Edge Closer To Runoff In Georgia Senate Race
Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue, right, led unofficial returns as he sought a second term, but Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff still hoped to narrow the margin as votes continued to come in from Democratic-leaning areas. In Georgia, a candidate must win more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Associated Press
Updated Friday at 10:13 a.m.
On Thursday afternoon the vote totals in incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue’s race shifted into runoff territory.
If no candidate wins more than 50% of the total votes counted when all are tallied, Perdue and Democratic nominee Jon Ossoff will face off again on Jan. 5. A runoff on that date is already set for Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Raphael Warnock in the special election for a seat Loeffler was appointed to after Sen. Johnny Isakson resigned.
Perdue’s campaign manager Ben Fry released a confident statement about how another election would go: “Perdue will finish this election in first place with substantially more votes than his Democrat opponent,” he said. “If overtime is required when all of the votes have been counted, we’re ready, and we will win.”
Ossoff’s campaign manager Ellen Foster answered with her own statement saying “we are confident that Jon Ossoff’s historic performance in Georgia has forced Senator David Perdue to continue defending his indefensible record of unemployment, disease, and corruption.”
“When a runoff is called and held in January,” she said, Georgians will send Ossoff to the Senate.
Control of the U.S. Senate hung in the balance Thursday, a cliffhanger after Republicans trounced Democratic challengers in crucial states but failed to lock down the seats needed to retain their tenuous majority.
With the presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden also undecided, the Senate is in limbo because the vice president of the eventual winner’s party would serve as a tie-breaker in a split chamber.
“We’re waiting — whether I’m going to be the majority leader or not,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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