Voting is rarely a run-off election, but Georgia is considered an exception, with its next two Senate runoffs in January deciding who controls the Senate.
Republicans and Democrats are searching the state for new voters, although CBS News’ exit polls for the general election suggest that neither party has much room to grow beyond its base before the January period. Early voting is a little less than two weeks before it starts. In one race, GOP Senator Kelly Lofler pitted against Democrat Reverend Raphael Warnock, and in another, Republican David Purdue defended his seat against John Osof.
Trey Hood, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia, believes it is crucial for parties to attract new voters to their coalition in order to be sustainable in January. Some opportunities exist for both parties, but first, they will probably try to ensure that those who voted for them in November will vote again by January 5th.
Mail poll
Despite attacks on President Trump’s mail-in voting, Georgians accepted the opportunity to vote by mail amid most COVID infections. In November, like other states, they broke the record of mail voting, successfully soliciting and 1.3 million absent ballots, a 74% return rate, while about 2.7 million people voted individually as early as possible. Mail-in voting is certain to be a key part of democratic efforts in January as well.
With about 850,000 votes, compared to about 451,000 for Mr. Trump, JB Eden dominated the absentee vote. It similarly helped offset their losses in in-person polls close to a margin of 2 to 1 – Mr. Biden had about 1,251,000 of Mr. Trump’s 1,419,000 – and on election day ballots, while the president received about 588,000 compared to Mr. Biden’s 367,000. Votes.
It’s hard to say how many people will vote in January – and by what means – but U.S. The election project says about 825,000 people had requested a mail-in ballot by Wednesday morning. Georgians have until Jan. 1 to send their requests, although U.S. Recommends sending postal service requests as soon as possible. Voters can register for the run-up until December 7, and preliminary voting will begin on December 14.
Most Georgians have probably already decided who will get their decision. None of the voters who spoke to CBS News had any plans to change votes in the January election. A week before the November election, a CBS News poll showed that a potential 4% of voters in the Purdue-Osof race were not taken into account. The period led to 47.9% of the Osoff with 49.3%, which fell only 0.3% short of a clear victory. Libertarian Shane Hazel was eliminated with 2.3% of the vote.
Purdue’s votes were not shared among Republicans, as Senator Kelly Loflers was in his race, and he won more votes than President Trump, with 49.7% compared to the president’s 49.3%. Ss Sof ended with support for%%. %%, making it a two-point margin in January.
In another Senate election, former Senator Johnny Isaacson’s special election to fill the seat, Loffler and Collins combined to get 45% of the vote, with Warnak leading by 327.9%. Other Democratic candidates received a combined 15%.
Dorothy Harp, 70, was among the majority voters who knew who she was supporting before the election. A longtime Republican, Harpe said he voted for Perdue and Loffler. And he will support them again.
Harpe, who lives in Atlanta, said Senator Perdue has been there a long time and is experienced. “I don’t think we need another candidate, John Osof, because he doesn’t deserve it. He’s not experienced.”
Letania Johnson, a longtime Democrat from Savannah, first spoke to CBS News in October, during the early voting period. He then voted for Warnernock and Sussoff and said he plans to do it again in a few weeks. As a result of the support – voting for Osoff was an easy call for him.
“Barack Obama is giving them 100% backup and you can’t go wrong with Barack Obama, so I’m chasing whoever I support,” Jones said.
Perdue lost the support of White voters
Like the presidential race, Georgia’s White electorate, which supported Georgia’s elect1% of voters and President Trump for the most part, also went to Peru for 69%, but he did not work with this group. His last Senate speech was in 2001, when he won 74% of the vote.
In his race, Lofler won a large share of the support of the White electorate (2%), leaving the other Republicans behind in the race to Congressman Doug Collins, who received ૨ 28%.
Perdue won White voters with a college college degree, although its margin with this group is much lower than in its last bid. In 2014, Perdue won 70% of white college college graduates, while this year it won significantly less: 56%.
Jeremy Frederickson, 39, has a degree in economics and said he voted for Perdue and Loffler because they best represent their values.
“It was no brainer for me,” Frederickson said. “Towards personal responsibility to the man and woman working in the type of gear of the value of responsibility, God … and those are signs of power.”
Hood, who is also director of the Survey Research Center at the University of Georgia, said the foundations of both political parties have changed.
“You probably have a large percentage of college-educated whites [voters] “There are still more Republicans in Georgia than in Wisconsin or something,” Hood said. It is very interesting that the base of the parties has now changed in terms of the working class of the grassroots type of the Republican Party. “
Forward with democratic independents
Georgia Republicans and Democrats voted largely within their party, but both O’Sullivan and Vernonck did well with the Independents in November. They won 51% and 37% of independent voters, respectively. Six per cent of independents voted for Liberal candidate Shane Hazel over the SF or Period.
In the Perdue-ss Sof match-up, known as the moderator among 38% of voters, Osof won 63% of the vote, while Perdue won only 34%.
“Matters are evenly shared between Republicans and Democrats in terms of turnout, so one has to reach out and get some new voters to be viable for their coalition, and for both. [parties] “It could be Hispanic voters,” Hood said.
Both sides keep an eye on Latino
Both parties are also likely to target Latino voters, who were more divided in support of Democratic candidates. Reverend Raphael Warnock came in almost third place, while 26% voted for another Democratic candidate, Matt Lieberman. Overall, Latinos make up the state’s elect% voters in November.
In Georgia, Ossoff received less support from Latino voters (52%) than President-elect Biden, who received 62 percent of Latino votes, while Perdue performed better with Latino than President Trump, receiving 43% of the vote. Mr. Trump received 37% of Latino votes in the state. And while Hazel received 2% of the vote overall, she received 4% of Latino votes.
“The Hispanic population in Georgia is growing and growing steadily, while the white population is contracting to some extent and the black population [are] Quite stable, slightly rising, ”Hood said.
Black voters turn to Democrats
Hood says the black vote is “crucial to the Democratic coalition.” He recalls, “In the 2008 statewide Senate election race we had with Saxby Chambliss, I did the calculations, and Blake’s result was three points lower in the runoff than the general, 2008 General. The runout was won by points, “and because of the decline in most of those black votes,” Hood said, “if it happens again, it will be very detrimental to the Democratic candidates in the runoff.”
Black voters make up 29% of Georgia’s electorate, and 88% have voted for Mr. Biden. Black women voted heavily for John Osoff – akin to the presidency, where Mr. Biden gets 92% of the vote cast by black women in Georgia. Most black voters also went to the polls. Johnson said Varnok appealed to him because of his life experiences.
“It could be relative. Duration,” Jones said. “He grew up here in Sarnah, Georgia on big projects … he had a lot of brothers and sisters and everything, and the following is [he] May be related to our struggle. ”
Electoral integrity
The Republicans have another challenge facing them: President Trump and the top members of his party, including two Republicans for the Senate, including the Georgia governor and secretary of state, are raising doubts about the electoral system and any Republicans who have favored it. And it remains to be seen whether the G.O.P. It can now persuade its voters to show again in January that they will take part in the work they have worked to undermine.
“It’s the integrity of the system that is my 100% concern,” said Frederickson, who lives outside of Warner Robbins. “If we lose this fair and square, that’s fine too. Well, America voted that way, which I don’t think they did. “
