Inform
The 46th President of the United States
The Presidential Election
Joseph R. Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States of America on November 7, 2020. He received the majority of the popular vote: 80,934,359 votes or 51.3%. In addition, Biden received 306 Electoral College votes, exceeding the 270 he needed to clinch the presidency. The 45th received 74,078,200 votes, 46.9%, along with 232 electoral votes.
The 117th Congress
U.S House of Representatives Election Results
Democrats held onto their majority in the House with 222 seats. They were successful in flipping three seats from Republican to Democrat. Republicans narrowed their disadvantage by flipping at least nine seats from Democrat to Republican. The 2021 House will open with 222 Democrats and 209 Republicans.
Democrats flipped two seats, with former Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper unseating incumbent GOP Sen. Cory Gardner in Colorado, and Democrat Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, toppling Republican Sen. Martha McSally in Arizona. Republicans picked up a seat by ousting Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in deep red Alabama, with Tommy Tuberville, the Republican candidate, winning.
Control of the U.S. Senate as a result of the 2020 elections has not been determined. Republicans have secured 50 seats and Democrats have secured 48 seats (including among them two seats held by independents who caucus with Democrats). Both the regular and special elections in Georgia advanced to January 5, 2021, runoffs.
Democrats would need to win both Georgia’s Senate races to split the chamber 50-50, with the vice president (starting in 2021, Democrat Kamala Harris) having the tie-breaking vote. Republicans need to win one seat to maintain their majority.
Getting Out The Vote
The 2020 turnout was the highest in 120 years. Sixty six percent of the voting-eligible population cast a ballot. Turnout was especially high in many battleground states, where expectations of a close contest appeared to boost voter participation. Thank you for all you did to support this effort.
The Georgia Elections
Georgia has not elected a Democratic senator since 1996, but a growing young and non-White electorate has helped shift the state into battleground status. Until the 1970s, Georgia was virtually a one-party state, with conservative Democrats dominant. But as conservative voters moved en masse to the Republican Party, Democrats were left concentrated in places like the city of Atlanta, adjacent and urbane Decatur, and smaller cities with significant African-American populations. A new generation of Democratic candidates has left behind the fiscal and social conservatism of its forefathers to embrace a rising demographic coalition of Black voters, college-educated suburban women and a more politically engaged younger generation.
Republican Sen. David Perdue did not break the 50% threshold needed to win outright in this month’s election and will again face Democrat Jon Ossoff on January 5.
A special race was created to determine who would replace former Republican Senator Johnny Isakson, who retired last year. Under state law, if neither candidate receives above 50% of the vote, the race must advance to a runoff between the top two candidates. Senator Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp to replace Isakson, will face Democrat Raphael Warnock in the runoff on January 5.
Georgia’s law says the runoffs are to take place on the Tuesday of the ninth week after the election. That puts them on Jan. 5. Voters must be registered to participate by Dec. 7.The state will hold three weeks of early voting. Registered voters may vote by mail if they request an absentee ballot.
It is traditionally more difficult for candidates to convince voters to turn out for elections that do not feature the presidential contest on the ballot, and this special election will come shortly after New Year’s with the country still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. In the past, Democrats have struggled in such races, with Republicans dominating the format in conservative-learning Georgia.
Respond
Democrats need to capture both of the seats in Georgia to secure a 50-50 tie in the Senate. A great deal is at stake.
Volunteer/Donate/Support:
Reverand Warnock For U.S. Senate
Postcards To Voters – write to Georgia voters reminding them to apply for an absentee ballot and vote. Associated with The Georgia Project.
Vote Forward – write letters to Georgia voters and help increase election turnout
The New Georgia Project – support registration and GOTV drives
Fair Fight – a national voting rights organization rooted in Georgia focuses on voter mobilization and founded by Stacey Abrams
Next Post: The Inauguration, The Senate and The Future
Determined 