Control of the Senate might not be determined until after a Jan. 5 runoff contest in Georgia after neither Republican incumbent collected 50% of the popular vote needed to avoid a runoff.
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., ended up in the runoff contest after falling to net 50% of the popular vote over Democrat challenger Jon Ossoff. Meanwhile, in the state's special election, neither GOP incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler nor Democrat Raphael Warnock was able to collect half the votes, reports Axios, citing numbers from The Associated Press.
Georgia was the only state where both senators were on the ballot.
Supporters from both parties are organizing fundraisers for both races, and Republican pro-life groups have made a $4 million independent contribution in support of Loeffler and Perdue.
Perdue is leading in unofficial results against Ossoff, after having been a Georgia senator since 2015.
The final vote count left Purdue at 49.8% against Ossoff at 47.8% following a fiercely fought campaign, during which Ossoff sought to link Purdue to President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus.
All eyes will be on Georgia for the next two months," Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie told NPR. "There will be record spending, unprecedented campaigning, and tons of mudslinging in these races — more than what we're used to seeing."
Republicans at this time hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats have gained one new seat so far, and still need two more for a 50-50 tie. That way, if Joe Biden is sworn in as president, his vice president Kamala Harris would cast the chamber's tie-breaking votes.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. said Republicans outperformed expectations the GOP would lose control of the Senate during the election.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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