Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both running for crucial seats in the US Senate in Georgia that will decide the fate of Joe Biden’s new government, raised more than $ 100 million each in just two months.
The announcement of the recent records – which considerably exceed that of its Republican opponents – comes with less than two weeks for run-off races to be decided in special elections on January 5.
Ossoff, who runs a media company and is running against Republican Senator David Perdue, raised more than $ 106 million from October 15 to December 16, according to his campaign’s latest financial report.
Meanwhile, Warnock, who is a pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and is running against Kelly Loeffler, raised just over $ 103 million.
The races in Georgia are the focus of intense national political interest, as they will decide which party controls the Senate – currently held by Republicans – and in turn the legislative power of President-elect Biden.
If Republicans win a race, they will hold power narrowly and will be a major obstacle in a wide range of Biden’s actions, including the possibility of indicating who he wants for his office.
But if the Democrats win both races, the Senate will be split 50/50, meaning that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will decide the tiebreaker votes, allowing Democrats to put forward a more ambitious agenda.
The two seats went to the second round after Perdue and Loeffler, one of the richest members of the Senate, won less than 50% of the vote on election day in November.
The previous fundraising record was held by Democrat Jamie Harrison, who raised $ 57 million in a quarter in his unsuccessful attempt to oust Senator Lindsey Graham in South Carolina in November.
Warnock’s campaign manager, Jerid Kurtz, said: “We are delighted with the popular support and generosity that continue to drive Reverend Warnock’s campaign to represent all Georgians in the U.S. Senate.”
Early voting in the state began on December 14. As of Thursday, more than 2 million people – more than a quarter of registered voters in the state – had already voted in the election, suggesting that overall participation will be high.
In November, when President-elect Biden became the first Democrat to win the state since 1992, about 4 million Georgians voted early.
FiveThirtyEight currently has Perdue and Warnock ahead.
For Democrats, both President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris campaigned in the state. For Republicans, President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka made campaign stops.
Democrats tried to highlight the negotiations over shares of their Republican opponents and their support for Trump, while Republicans focused on Warnock, referring to him repeatedly as a “radical liberal”.
A group of black pastors wrote an open letter to Loeffler in which they said that their rhetoric against Warnock was “a broader attack on the black church and the faith traditions that we defend”.
Meanwhile, Trump attacked Republicans in the state, calling Governor Brian Kemp “clown” and “fool” and marking Kemp and other prominent Georgia Republicans as “Republicans in name only”.
Campaigning in Columbus, Georgia, on Monday, Harris told supporters at a drive-in rally: “2020 will not end until January 5”. She added: “It is when 2020 will end. That’s when we’re going to do this. “
Michelle Obama is expected to campaign virtually in the state at a drive-in show organized by her organization When We All Vote to mobilize voters. Celebrate Georgia! on January 3 it will also feature performances by Rick Ross, Jack Harlow, Pastor Troy and Monica.