It’s time for another Georgia thrashing. This is a nightmare preview of the 2020 elections in Georgia, which might determine who wins the majority in the Senate. But even if the Democrats are successful in Nevada and Arizona, it may not make a huge impact. Adam Laxalt in Nevada and Blake Masters in Arizona, two candidates running as Republicans, are in a precarious position. Even if we win the Georgia runoff, the Senate will remain evenly divided, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the deciding vote to keep the chamber in Democratic hands. Alternatively, the 2022 cycle may finish with a tie. It should serve as a reminder to Republican voters that the midterms were a catastrophic catastrophe for their party.
Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, currently serving in office, and Herschel Walker, a Republican challenger, both failed to garner more than 50% of the vote, necessitating a runoff election on December 6. Will Joe Biden be making an appearance at Warnock’s rallies to lend his support? We don’t know, but it serves as a sobering reminder to Democrats that, while their candidate may have avoided a midterm battering, he is not popular (via NY Post):
If Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock needs anything from the president before the runoff election in Georgia’s Senate next month, Biden has promised to do “anything” he needs, which might be very little.
In the days leading up to Tuesday’s midterm elections, President Joe Biden avoided Georgia and other swing states where he is relatively unpopular. On Thursday night, a reporter asked him about his plans for the runoff between Democrat Richard Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, but Biden avoided answering the question.
If there is a runoff election, do you intend to travel to Georgia to advocate for the winning candidate?
One reporter asked President Biden this question on the White House grounds just before President Obama left for an international climate change summit in Cairo.
“I intend to do everything he asks me to do for him,” Biden said.
Jean-Pierre said, “I honestly have not — I have not heard of a request,” when asked if Warnock had sought a visit from Biden.
Campaign staff for Warnock did not immediately reply to The Post’s request for comment on whether or not Warnock would like President Joe Biden to campaign on his behalf.
Like the other 2020 runoffs, this one is likely to be close, so avoiding negativity is crucial. Again, Republicans have reason to be wary since Donald Trump is widely expected to declare his candidacy for president in 2024, therefore nationalizing the contest and almost certainly ensuring the Republicans’ defeat. The former president’s behavior in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 midterm elections has been shocking, inexplicable, and maybe irrational. As the Florida governor cruised to a resounding reelection victory, Trump declared election night 2022 a “wonderful evening” before taking shots at Ron DeSantis on the grounds that he may make a good president.
Such uncontrolled behavior might backfire on Walker in an election when people are signaling that their patience with 45’s belligerence is wearing thin, even among Trump’s most loyal followers.