US: Dems Close to Senate Control in Close Georgia Vote

(Bloomberg) — Democrat Jon Ossoff claimed victory over Republican David Perdue in Georgia Wednesday morning with a lead of about 16,000 votes in a race that was still too close for major news organizations to call.

“Whether you were for me or against me, I will be for you in the U.S. Senate,” Ossoff said in an online statement.

He held a slight lead of about 16,000 votes over Perdue, a former corporate executive and one-term senator.

Democrats have already captured one of Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats as Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler in one of the runoff races, according to the Associated Press.

In Ossoff’s race, some of the outstanding votes yet to be counted are coming from heavily Democrat precincts. But it could take days to get the final tally, as 17,000 military and overseas ballots can still be counted as late as Friday, and some domestic absentee ballots were still out. The narrow results will almost certainly spark legal challenges or recounts that also could delay a final determination of Senate control.

Two Democratic victories in Georgia would narrowly flip control of the Senate to Democrats. The chamber would be split 50-50 between Republicans and the Democratic caucus, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes.

Senate control, paired with the Democrats’ narrow majority in the House, would give Democratic President-elect Joe Biden a unified U.S. government and could smooth the path for his nominations and some major legislation.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

The post US: Dems Close to Senate Control in Close Georgia Vote appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.