The countdown has started, and so has the suspense. The counting of the votes for the double senatorial election in the US state of Georgia began on the evening of Tuesday, January 5, to determine who will receive the two seats at stake.
With fifty seats in their favor today, against forty-eight for their opponents, Republicans will retain their majority in the Senate if they manage to keep just one of the two at stake in Georgia.
“This election is going to be very close”, warned in the afternoon the two outgoing Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. But if their Democratic opponents, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, win, the upper house of Congress of the United States will fall into the camp of President-elect Joe Biden, in favor of a tie that would, in fact, be advantageous to them. .
The two Republican senators were favorites in this conservative state but many Democrats were confident of winning this crucial ballot for the start of Joe Biden’s mandate which will become, on January 20, the 46e President of the United States and who intends to mark the break with outgoing President Donald Trump.
Over 3 million advance votes
After a little over 60% of the ballots counted, the two Democratic candidates led by a very short head but caution remained in order, the gap narrowing as the evening wore on; Moreover, the results can vary greatly between the counting of the early ballots and those on voting day, as demonstrated by the presidential election of November 3, 2020.
More than three million voters, a record number for a partial senatorial in Georgia, were able to vote in advance, some 40% of those registered in the state.
A total of $ 832 million (677 million euros) was spent during the campaign according to the Center for Responsive Politics, an independent body. Sign of the big stakes, the elected and outgoing presidents had made, Monday, the trip on the ground to give voice.
These by-elections could be “Your last chance to save America as we love it”, thundered at Dalton, Donald Trump, who still refuses to acknowledge his defeat, more than two months after the presidential election.
Republican David Perdue came close to 50% against Democrat Jon Ossoff in the November ballot. Kelly Loeffler could benefit from a significant carry over of votes which had fallen on a rival of his party – he had divided the Republican supports in the first round against the Democrat Raphael Warnock, who came in first.
But the Democrats are galvanized by the narrow victory of one of their own, Joe Biden, in the state on November 3, a first since 1992. They notably tried to widely mobilize African-American voters, key to any Democratic victory. .
Trump in front of his supporters on Wednesday
The day after these by-elections, Congress will meet to formally record the vote of the large presidential voters in favor of Joe Biden (306 against 232). The outcome of this constitutional obligation is beyond doubt: the Democrat will become the 46e President of the United States on January 20. But Donald Trump’s crusade gives this day a special tone.
In the street, a large demonstration of support for the tenant of the White House is planned in Washington. Holding flags on behalf of the billionaire, hundreds of supporters have already gathered in the capital on Monday. The outgoing president confirmed that he would speak to them on Wednesday from the Ellipse, an esplanade located south of the White House.
Joe Biden has largely refrained from commenting on this unprecedented pressure around a day that is usually a formality. Wednesday, he planned to give a speech… on the economy.
Our selection of articles on the presidential election in the United States
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