The madness of the 2020 Election isn’t quite over yet, as the fate of who controls the Senate hangs with whoever wins Georgia during an upcoming special election in January. The catch this time, though, both senate seats are up for grabs at a time when the Democrats control 46 seats and the Republicans 50, both shy of the needed majority. Thus, if Democrats pull this off, Joe Biden will enter office with control of the House, Senate, and Executive branches, meaning we may hopefully see his administration put forward a strong people-focused legislation, unlike his Democratic predecessor and former boss.
However, all zings aside, let’s talk flipping the state blue and helping both candidates win the election. As after all, doing so would mean less power in the hands of the nefarious Mitch McConnell and more power in the hands of legislators who are hopefully going to protect healthcare, pass a comprehensive coronavirus stimulus package and work to address the many needs impacting our country.
In an effort to do all we can to help amid this special election, we have teamed up with Blue Neighbors, an organization made up of Democrats in solidly blue states, like California and New York, that are working with Democrats in Georiga to help flip the Senate.
WHAT IS A SPECIAL ELECTION AND WHO IS RUNNING?
For starters, what is a special election? Well, to put it simply, a special election, or a by-election as it is more formally called, is an election used to fill a vacant seat in between general elections. In Georgia’s case, we have a unique double special election caused by both senate races entering a runoff in November. Thus, whether Republicans maintain their majority or if Democrats can create an even split, all comes down to what happens on January 5, 2021.
The first race is to decide who serves the remaining two-year term of Republican Johnny Isakson, who resigned in 2019 citing health matters. On the board are Incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock. Loeffler, who served as the co-owner of the Atlanta Dream WNBA team before being appointed to her role, faced flak after engaging in insider trading by selling millions in stocks before the coronavirus crash in March and April. On the other hand, Warnock served as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since 2005. He also chaired the voter registration group founded by Stacey Abrams, New Georgia Project, from 2017 to 2020.
The second race, which does count as a regularly scheduled race, is between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican David Perdue. Ossoff, who previously ran an unsuccessful race in 2017 to represent Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House, serves as the CEO of an investigative media production company. On the other side, Perdue is seeking re-election in January, having served in the senate since 2014. Before the Senate, Perdue served as the CEO of Reebok, Dollar General, and Pillowtex.
With the races set, let talk about how you can help both Osoff and Warnock to victory.
HOW CAN YOU HELP FLIP GEORGIA BLUE?
From the get-go, donating is always an easy, non-time-consuming method of lending your support, and both donations to Warnock and Ossoff, and the most direct route, in this case, would be the Georiga Democratic Party. However, you can also donate directly to Blue Neighbors Project through ActBlue, a nonprofit established in 2004 to enable left-leaning nonprofits, Democratic candidates and progressive’s the ability to raise money from individual donors.
Additionally, the Blue Neighbors Project allows for donating directly to community organizing groups on the ground in Georiga. One of the great groups to check out includes FairFight, a group working to promote fair elections in Georgia and around the country.
While COVID has changed the nature of in-person campaigning, there is also a need for volunteers on the ground in the state. If you have the time, a list of organizations seeking volunteers for the special election can be found here.
As a reminder, the election takes place on January 5 and early voting has already begun. Get your donations, volunteering, or however, you want to support ready, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more.
