Three million Georgia voters cast their ballots, setting a new record before early voting came to an end for the U.S. Senate runoffs. This overwhelming response has set a stage for a face-off that will be decided on Election Day, Jan. 5.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continued raising questions over the integrity of the presidential election, claiming the election results, as well as the Senate runoffs in Georgia, were both legally void. These efforts and remarks do not coincide with the G.O.P. efforts to encourage voters, according to The New York Times.
Taking to his Twitter account on Friday, the president made baseless claims about the two Senate races of Georgia being "illegal and invalid," a claim that will hinder his efforts to urge his supporters to show up in large numbers for Republican candidates. The upcoming runoff races will decide which party qualifies to control the Senate.
Trump is slated to hold a rally in Dalton, Georgia, on Jan. 4, just one day before Election Day. Georgia Republicans are counting on the president to convince that it is extremely crucial for Republicans to vote in notable numbers for the two incumbent Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.
Much to the chagrin of Georgia Republicans, the president has repeatedly said that Georgia’s election system was manipulated in the Nov. 3 general election. Some Republican leaders have raised concerns over such remarks that are likely to convince supporters that voting in a corrupt system is useless and eventually help the Democrats win the election.
The high turnout of the U.S. Senate runoffs, however, shows the importance of the dual runoffs. For the race to control the Senate, Loeffler and Perdue are slated to go up against Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
Votes will not be counted until polls are closed at 7 p.m. on Jan. 5. Still, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution analyzed some state election data, indicating that more ballots have been cast in regions known for supporting Democrats. Turnouts in conservative congressional districts fell behind through Thursday, particularly in northwest Georgia, where Trump is slated to meet supporters on Monday.
Black voters, who have a reputation for supporting Democrats, made up a higher portion of voters than in the Nov. 3 election. Republicans, however, are expected to make up ground with a notable showing on Election Day, as was the case in the general election.
The 3 million early votes had already surpassed the 2008 record for total turnout in a Georgia runoff when 2.1 million people took part in a U.S. Senate runoff between Democrat Jim Martin and Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss.