Less than one month stands between now and the January 5th Georgia Senate elections between Kelly Loeffler and Raphael Warnock, and David Perdue and Jon Ossoff. The winners of these elections effectively decide which political party controls the US Senate.
While special election incumbent Loeffler (R) faced-off with Democratic hopeful Pastor Raphael Warnock in a nationally televised debate on Sunday, Perdue (R) declined to appear at his debate with Ossoff.
The Senate election odds show that the Loeffler and Warnock moneylines received a flurry of action post-debate. Meanwhile, the Perdue and Ossoff moneylines remained static. Here are the updated odds since we covered the Georgia Senate action in last week’s article.
These odds are courtesy of one of our top-rated political betting sportsbooks, Bovada. If you have questions on what a senate election is versus a runoff election, we have a page dedicated to breaking down the Vegas US 2020 Senate Odds for you.
US Senate Election Winner – Georgia (Special Election)
Kelly Loeffler (R) -150
Raphael Warnock (D) +115
US Senate Runoff Election Winner – Georgia (General Election)
David Perdue (R) -200
Jon Ossoff (D) +150
Here are some of the key takeaways from the debates last night that likely influenced the action (or, in Perdue’s and Ossoff’s case, lack of action) on the Georgia Senate election odds above.
The most notable moment came when the moderator pressed Loeffler on President Trump’s election fraud claims and his attacks against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R). Like many other Republicans, Loeffler had to walk a fine line between appeasing Trump’s claims while urging the Georgia Republican electorate to vote.
“It’s vitally important that Georgians trust our election process and the president has every right to every legal recourse, and that’s what’s taking place,” Loeffler said when prompted on her allegiance to Gov. Kemp and Trump’s election fraud claims.
“I’ve called for investigations, and now there’s 250 investigations open here in Georgia. But the President was also clear that Georgians need to come out and vote for David Perdue and myself because of what’s at stake in this election,” Loeffler continued.
While the President continues to contest the Georgia General Election, he has urged Republicans to vote in the Georgia Senate race. This comes on the heels of attorneys such as Lin Wood and Amy Powell using Trump’s rhetoric to ask Republican voters to sit out of the Senate runoffs. Some Republican officials have expressed fear over the possibility that Trump’s attacks on Georgia’s election process may deter some of his voter-base to abstain from participating in the Loeffler and Perdue elections.
When asked to take sides between President Trump and Governor Brian Kemp, Loeffler instead focused her grievance on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who’s resignation Loeffler has called for.
“The buck stops with the secretary of state. He has to run an election that Georgians trust…I appreciate the President’s support of me, and I appreciate the governor’s support of me.”
Raphael Warnock similarly blundered over his critical comments on the police. In previous public appearances, Warnock has criticized police brutality against Georgia’s Black residents. Such statements have been cannon fodder for Loeffler’s campaign, allowing her to paint Warnock as a “radical liberal.”
Warnock commented, “law enforcement officers lay it on the line every day; they have an ally with me. I just think that you can affirm what law enforcement officers do and hold them accountable.”
The two candidates agreed on coronavirus vaccination, sparred over the hot-button abortion debate, and echoed the court-packing arguments heard in President Donald Trump’s and Joe Biden’s second Presidential election debate.
January 5th is fast approaching. We here at Vegas Election Odds will keep you covered on the Senate election moneylines and what’s happening on the ground in this historic election event.
Sources:
FOX News