If voters were unaware of the importance of the Senate runoff elections in Georgia, former President Barack Obama is here to remind them. This week, the former U.S. Senator hopped on social media to emphasize the significance of the special election.
“The stakes could not be higher,” the best-selling author told Georgia residents.
The former President has advocated on behalf of Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to unseat David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. After President-Elect Joe Biden became the first Democratic candidate to win the state in more than 20 years, the party became hopeful that Warnock and Ossoff could pull out a pair of wins. If the two were able to unseat Perdue and Loeffler, it could swing the balance of power within Congress during the first half of Biden's term.
"We’re seeing how far some will go to retain power and threaten the fundamental principles of our democracy. But our democracy isn’t about any individual, even a president—it’s about you," Obama tweeted.
By referring to those who will threaten the principles of democracy, many believe Obama is referencing Donald Trump's recent phone conversation with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. During an hour-long call with Raffensperger, the President urged him to recalculate the results of last month's election in his favor. Trump also made false claims of voter suppression and voter fraud that swayed the election in President-Elect Joe Biden's favor. After a recording of the call surface, members of the Republican Party chastised his actions.
“[This is a] new low in this whole futile and sorry episode," Sen. Pat Toomey said.
“I commend Republican election officials across the country who have discharged their duties with integrity over the past two months while weathering relentless pressure, disinformation, and attacks from the president and his campaign."
Despite pushback from party leaders, Trump traveled to Georgia to participate in a rally for Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. The two hope that it will give them the final push they need to win as voters take to the ballot boxes for the final time.
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