Loeffler and Warnock agree to December debate
Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) and Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock have agreed to debate each other on Dec. 6.
The televised debate will be hosted by The Atlanta Press Club, which invited all candidates of the two runoff races to debate.
“The Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series is pleased to report that both Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Rev. Raphael Warnock have confirmed their participation in a debate airing live on Georgia Public Broadcasting on Sunday, Dec. 6 from 7 – 8 p.m.,” the group said in a release.
BREAKING: The Atlanta Press Club confirms that U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger Reverend Raphael Warnock have accepted invitations to debate on Sunday, December 6th. #gapol #gasen #GASenateRunoffs #gasendebate #APCDebates @KLoeffler @ReverendWarnock pic.twitter.com/MywK8yTkxU
— Rahul Bali (@rahulbali) November 17, 2020
In the other race, Sen. David Perdue (R) has refused to debate Jon Ossoff (D).
“Jon Ossoff has confirmed his participation, so according to our rules, we will proceed with the debate and Sen. Perdue will be represented by an empty podium,” The Atlanta Press Club says on its website.
In both races, no candidate was able to secure the required 50 percent of votes needed to win on Election Day. Perdue was close, however, receiving 49.7 percent of the vote, with Ossoff right behind at 48 percent.
Warnock garnered over 344,000 votes more than Loeffler, but neither gained even 35 percent of the total vote.
Warnock on Monday challenged Loeffler — who was appointed to her seat by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) at the end of 2018 after former Sen. Johnny Isakson (R) announced he was retiring — to two additional televised debates before Jan. 5.
The showdown for Georgia’s two Senate seats will also determine which party has a majority in the chamber. If either Perdue or Loeffler win, the GOP will retain control of the Senate, but if both lose, then there would be a 50-50. This would allow Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to cast a tie-breaking vote on legislation, giving Democrats the majority.
At the moment, the GOP is favored to retain both seats, though Democrats have remained optimistic about their chances after President-elect Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the Peach State since 1992.
The Loeffler and Warnock campaigns did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment.
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