Will deep red Georgia turn blue? State is witnessing a tight race between Republicans and Democrats
Georgia has remained a state dominated by the Republicans over the decades with Bill Clinton being the last Democrat to win the state in a presidential election, way back in 1992. He lost his re-election bid in the state four years later. But this time, the Peach State is looking more competitive with incumbent President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden caught in a tight race. Trump was leading the state by 15 points as per the latest Hill tracker.
While pollings were beginning to close in the state around 7 pm EST, some counties and precincts extended their voting timings and some even cited voting issues earlier on Tuesday (November 3), the Election Day.
Both parties have campaigned in Georgia extensively
Both the septuagenarian presidential candidates have campaigned aggressively in Georgia, which has 16 electoral votes. Even Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former president Barack Obama have campaigned there in the last few days. Last week, Biden said in a drive-rally in Atlanta that if the Democrats win Georgia, they win everything. The Obama-Biden pair had lost Georgia both in the 2008 and 2012 elections by 7 and 5 percent differences, respectively.
Recent pollings have shown the former vice president taking a slight lead over Trump who defeated Hillary Clinton by over 5 percent in 2016. According to a Monmouth University poll that came out last week, Biden has a 50-46 percent lead over the incumbent. Before the 2016 election, Trump was seen leading Hillary and he eventually pocketed the state.
Georgia is also significant this time for its two Senate elections. While GOP incumbent Senator David Perdue, 70, is being challenged by Democrat Jon Ossoff, 33, less than half the age of the former and an investigative journalist, a special election is also underway in which GOP incumbent Kelly Loeffler is being challenged by her own party’s Doug Collins and the Democratic Party’s Raphael Warnock.
The Democrats are feeling hopeful about winning the red state, thanks to the growing Latino and Black population and shifting political allegiances in the suburban areas around Atlanta. The state saw controversies during the primary season owing to technical glitches and accusations of voter suppression but it has seen a record early voting turnaround.
According to sources, unofficial results from Georgia will be available later on Tuesday or early Wednesday, November 4. The counties, however, must certify their results by November 13.