A man claiming aliens voted for Biden interrupts Pence as he speaks in Savannah
Credit: Reuters
The US Election is not over. Democrats won the White House in round one. But round two is happening in Georgia.
On January 5, a fortnight before Joe Biden is inaugurated, a pair of races in the Peach State will determine the balance of power in the US Senate.
For a battered Republican Party this is the Alamo, a last chance to stop Mr Biden becoming all-powerful.
But Donald Trump’s insistence that the presidential election was “stolen” — and particularly so in Georgia, he claims — has created an extraordinary quandary for his base. If the system is “rigged” against them, why vote again?
The suggestion Trump supporters might boycott the Georgia elections began in the further reaches of the internet, on social media platforms like Parler. But this week it spilled spectacularly into the open.
Raphael Warnock, left, and Jon Ossoff, right hope to give the Democrats control of Congress
Credit: AP
Turn on the radio in Georgia and you will hear Lin Wood, a local celebrity lawyer and turbocharged Trump advocate, declaring: "This is Georgia, we ain’t dumb. We ain’t gonna go vote on Jan 5 on another machine made by China. You’re not gonna fool Georgians again. Why would you go back and vote in another rigged election?"
Mr Wood, 68, has represented Trump supporters in numerous high-profile cases across the country, including Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager accused of killing two people at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The lawyer’s comments at a Georgia "Stop the Steal" rally, where former Trump attorney Sidney Powell also spoke, lit a fire. It set alarm bells ringing, not just in Georgia, but in the White House.
The president personally telephoned Mr Wood trying to calm the waters. Donald Trump Jr., hugely popular with the Trump base, recorded a radio advert telling supporters to vote, and calling the idea of a boycott "NONSENSE" on Twitter. Mike Pence, the vice president, was dispatched to Georgia on Air Force 2.
If Georgia's Republican senators lose, the GOP loses its Senate majority
Credit: Reuters
At a rally in Savannah on Friday night, Mr Pence said: "Georgia, I came here to say ‘Stay in the fight’. Stay in the fight to defend the Republican majority in the Senate. Stay in the fight until the polls close on Jan 5.
"I know we’ve all got our doubts about the last election. And I actually hear some people saying ‘Just don’t vote’. My fellow Americans, if you don’t vote, they win!”
Mr Pence added: "I want you to be confident about your vote. We’re on ’em this time! We’re watching! We’re gonna secure the polls. Georgia, it all comes down to you. Georgia’s got to hold the line."
If Mr Pence’s appeal sounded a little desperate, it was because these are desperate times for Republicans.
The party holds the Senate 52-48. If its two sitting Georgia senators lose, that will become 50-50. The new Democrat vice president, Kamala Harris, will have the casting vote.
Keeping one seat means Republicans retain control, and with it the ability to block much of what Mr Biden wants to do, including his selection of cabinet officials and judges.
In Mr Pence’s crowd there was some support for Mr Wood and Ms Powell, and their attacks on the Dominion voting machines used on Nov 3.
"I think they need to get it resolved before we vote again,” said Barry Mann, 61, who was wearing a hard hat with a bald eagle on it. “I don’t think the Dominion voting system will work (on Jan 5). I can see why people have a lot of questions…"
He added: "I’m not very happy with the governor [Republican Brian Kemp] right now. He needs to come clean, do a full investigation. They (Mr Wood and Ms Powell) are trying that right now. They’re investigating the whole system."
One woman said: "My gut reaction was ‘Hell, I’m not going to vote [on Jan 5]. Then I thought about it. I’m gonna vote."
Joseph Bazemore, 44, a Baptist pastor in a “Trump” T-shirt, said: "A lot of people were disgusted about voter fraud. But they can’t give into that mindset. A boycott won’t hurt them [the Democrats]. It hurts us. It doesn’t make any sense."
The Senate races are destined to be close, and only a small number of Trump supporters staying home could be the difference.
Mr Trump was due to hit the campaign trail with a rally in Valdosta, Georgia on Saturday night. Senior Republicans urged him to encourage voting, rather than claims of electoral fraud.
In the latest polls Democrat candidate Rev Raphael Warnock, 51, the black pastor of Rev Martin Luther King Jr.’s former church, leads Republican senator Kelly Loeffler, 50, by seven points. Jon Ossoff, 33, the other Democrat, is leading Republican senator David Perdue, 70, by two points.
Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, said Republicans considering not voting because of perceived fraud was "really happening".
"It’s resonated with people, crazy as it seems,” he said. “So many Republicans live and die by what Trump says, and so if he says that the system’s not to be trusted…the logical next step is, OK, so why bother to go vote?"
Mr Trump lost Georgia, a state of 11 million people, by 12,000 votes. The resulting inquest has descended into an ugly Republican civil war, which is not helping the Senate re-election effort.
The president’s most ardent supporters have taken to calling Mr Kemp, the Republican governor, King George III, and chanting "lock him up" for not investigating claims of voter fraud. People loyal to Mr Trump are putting out that Mr Wood donated money to Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump, Ms Loeffler and Mr Perdue are calling for the head of Georgia‘s Republican secretary of state Brad Raffensperger. He is now getting death threats.
"Someone’s going to get shot," warned Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s top election official. "I have people outside my house."
Republicans also face another problem — whether the two senators are "Trumpian” enough to excite the president’s supporters.
Ms Loeffler is the richest person in Congress. She and her husband are worth $800 million and live in a jaw-droppingly beautiful $10 million European-style mansion called “Descantes” outside Atlanta. She entered Congress as a moderate, but has since become an enthusiastic supporter of Mr Trump.
Kelly Loeffler
Credit: Shutterstock
However, at Mr Pence’s rally Republican voter Toni Hillhouse, 50, said: "She’s not very relatable…I’m not a mllionairess."
David Hillhouse, 56, her husband, said both senators were "not conservative enough," adding: "These are the people we’re stuck with unless we want the other side to win."
Another supporter of the president said: "I’d say they’re probably both on probation.”
Mr Perdue, a wealthy former businessman, has faced controversy over his extensive share dealings while a senator. He has declined to take part in the final debate against Mr Ossoff, a former investigative journalist who studied at the London School of Economics.
At a socially distanced rally outside a Baptist church in suburban Atlanta, Mr Ossoff said: “David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are like the Bonnie and Clyde of political corruption. It’s cartoonish.
"David Perdue’s campaign slogan now is that he wasn’t criminally indicted. Maybe the bar should be a little higher for a sitting member of the Senate. Let’s turn the page y’all.”
Mr Ossoff added: "Right now the eyes of the world are on Georgia. Victory comes down to young people. We have to let everybody know it’s gonna be close, and we gotta get young people out to the polls."
Democrat voter Allison Waggener, 39, a classical singer holding a sign saying "You’re Vote Is Sacred," said if some of Mr Trump’s supporters decided not to go to the polls it would be very helpful.
"I sure hope so," she said. "I’m hoping that works."
Свежие комментарии