Georgia election: Democratic candidates in Senate runoffs ahead of Biden’s vote pace

Democrats had underperformed president-elect’s November victory margins in several deep blue counties

The Democratic challengers in Georgia’s Senate runoff races are running ahead of President-elect Joe Biden in several Democratic stronghold counties, suggesting a large voter turnout in urban areas.

Democratic Party officials and the Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock campaigns had aimed for just that: Big turnouts in places like Atlanta and Macon to offset expected big wins for the GOP candidates in the states’ deeply red northern and southern regions.

In Clayton county, Mr Ossoff led GOP Senator David Perdue 89 per cent to 11 per cent with 69 per cent of voting facilities reporting. Mr Biden defeated Donald Trump there 85 per cent to 14.1 per cent.  

In Fulton County, Mr Warnock leads the other incumbent GOP senator, Kelly Loeffler, 75 per cent to 25 percent with 83 per cent of voting sites reporting. Mr Biden won that country 72.6 per cent to 26.2 per cent. He was outpacing Mr Biden by around 4 per cent in Clayton County.

Read more: Georgia runoff election polls: What are the latest odds for crucial Senate race?

Read more: Can Georgia flip the Senate?

Mr Warnock was 13 percentage points ahead of Ms Loeffler in Gwinnett County (27 per cent reporting) and by over 6 points in Henry County (70 per cent reporting).

The numbers were strong for Democrats, who must sweep the two races in order to make Minority Leader Chuck Schumer the Senate’s majority leader. That would give him the ability to control what comes to the floor, and make it easier to move Mr Biden’s administration and judicial nominees.

In the general election, Mr Ossoff underperformed Mr Biden’s victorious margins in several typically blue counties in Georgia.

The president-elect was in Atlanta on Monday and pleaded with Democrats to turn out in big numbers, saying of the two runoffs to decide Senate control: “This is it" and “It’s in your hands.”

Mr Trump was in Dalton, in the state’s rural northwest region, a few hours later telling his backers to get to the polls to block an alleged “steal” attempt by Democrats. (Like his contentions about his November loss to Mr Biden, however, the president did not present any evidence.)

“The Democrats are trying to steal the White House. You cannot let them, you just can't, let them steal the US Senate,” he warned the rally crowd in Dalton. “You can't let it happen, you can't let it happen.

He kept it up as voters were casting ballots the next day.

“Reports are coming out of the 12th Congressional District of Georgia that Dominion Machines are not working in certain Republican Strongholds for over an hour. Ballots are being left in lock boxes, hopefully they count them,” the president tweeted.

GOP operatives for weeks have been concerned that Mr Trump’s talk of a “steal” attempt and faulty voting machines might lead many Republican voters to stay home, thinking their votes would not matter in the final count.