All eyes on Georgia: Biden overtakes Trump as fate of US Senate hangs in the balance
Democratic nominee Joe Biden nudged past President Donald Trump in Georgia’s presidential race early Friday as counting continued for absentee and mail-in ballots.
Biden had 1,096 more votes than Trump as of 6:26 a.m. Friday, according to the unofficial results posted on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website. The Associated Press reports both candidates had about 49.4% of the vote with 99% reporting as of 7 a.m.
The race has not been called yet, and Georgia’s 16 electoral college votes remain to be determined.
Trump, meanwhile, has called the results a fraud while filing lawsuits seeking to challenge the election process. A judge in Georgia already threw out one of his lawsuits, citing a lack of evidence, The Hill reported.
“This is a case when they are trying to steal an election, they are trying to rig an election,” Trump said from the White House Thursday night, according to the AP.
Vote not over as tally continues
Thousands of votes in Georgia remain to be counted — and more could arrive by the deadline Friday, The Washington Post reported.
In a tweet Thursday night, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger said there were at least 14,097 outstanding ballots to be counted as of 10:35 p.m.
If Biden wins the state, it would be the first time a Democratic presidential candidate won Georgia since Bill Clinton took it in 1992, CBS news reported.
Trump could still seek a recount if the vote stays close.
State law in Georgia allows candidates to seek a recount “if the margin of defeat is within half of a percent of the total vote,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. The request must come within two days of the results being certified. The election superintendent may also request a recount at his or her own discretion and “regardless of the margin,” according to the newspaper.
US Senate majority up for grabs
Democrats have a chance to flip the Republican-controlled Senate if they win both seats in Georgia.
A run-off for one of the races has already been scheduled for Jan. 5 between GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democratic nominee Raphael Warnock. Loeffler was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to replace former Senator Johnny Isakson when he retired.
Neither Loeffler nor any of her 20 challengers received more than 50% of the vote during the special election, meaning the race must advance to a runoff between the top two candidates under state law, CBS News reported. Warnock received about 33% of the vote compared to Loeffler’s 26%.
The second race, between incumbent Republican David Perdue and his Democratic challenger Jon Osoff, has been less straightforward.
Perdue appeared to have enough votes to meet the 50% threshold after Tuesday’s election. But his lead slipped Friday as more votes were tallied — particularly those from the Atlanta metro in DeKalb County, CNN reported, meaning a second runoff is possible.
According to the unofficial results posted on the Georgia secretary of state’s website, Perdue had 49.84% of the vote as of 6:26 a.m. Friday. Osoff had 47.84%.
Democrats failed to sweep the Senate with a blue wave on Tuesday, netting just one seat with wins in Colorado and Arizona and a loss in Alabama, CNN reported. The race in North Carolina hasn’t been called yet, but Republican Sen. Thom Tillis still holds a lead over Democrat Cal Cunningham.
That means Democrats would need to secure both seats in Georgia to nab the majority.
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 3:49 AM with the headline "All eyes on Georgia: Biden overtakes Trump as fate of US Senate hangs in the balance."
