Donald Trump announced on Saturday that his inaugural committee will be chaired by Florida real estate investor Steven Witkoff and former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham helped broker peace between two longtime foes of the same party: former President Donald Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis pursued charges against roughly half of the people recommended to her by a special grand jury tasked with investigating efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.

A special grand jury investigating efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results recommended indictments against a much larger group than prosecutors ultimately charged, including one current and two former U.S. senators.

Georgia election officials say they would need six to nine months to install new software and hardware to update the state’s voting system.

There will be only four weeks before the Dec. 6 runoff in Georgia between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker for U.S. Senate.

Amid criticism of other voting changes, few noticed in 2021 when Georgia lawmakers shortened the period between an election and a runoff from nine weeks to four weeks.

President Joe Biden has honored the 2020 WNBA champions Seattle Storm at the White House.

Republicans’ U.S. Senate nomination in a premier battleground like Georgia is a plum political prize, but a year before GOP voters choose a nominee for the 2022 midterms, they have no clear options.

Republicans in Georgia are calling for party unity to avoid more losses to Democrats in 2022.

The NAACP has given him its Jackie Robinson Sports Award. And, for the first time, the nation's oldest civil rights organization is recognizing more than one person by honoring the WNBA Players Association. Ad“I am so proud of the WNBA players for this well-deserved recognition of their continued activism and advocacy for social justice and equality," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement provided to the AP. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, outspoken on many issues himself, admires the WNBA players for their activism. “I love what the WNBA players have done.

James applauded Montgomery's ownership role by posting on Twitter: “So proud of this Queen. “The Dream isn’t going anywhere.”The WNBA announced on Jan. 20 the ownership change was close to being completed. “I want to take this time to thank the WNBA players, particularly the Dream players,” Engelbert said Friday. They served as role models with their advocacy and continue to do that.”Gottesdiener said the Dream players captured his attention and respect. “Today does mark a new beginning for the Atlanta Dream organization," Engelbert said.

FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2020 file photo, Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., speaks during a "Save the Majority" rally in Augusta, Ga. Perdue says he won’t run in 2022 to reclaim a seat in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)ATLANTA – Former Georgia Sen. David Perdue said Tuesday that he will not run in 2022 to reclaim a seat in the U.S. Senate, eight days after the defeated Republican filed campaign paperwork that could have opened the way for him to run against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. Ossoff’s win, along with Warnock’s victory over Sen. Kelly Loeffler, resulted in Democrats taking control of the Senate for the first time since 2011. That’s because Warnock is filling the remainder of retired Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term. Ad“As we saw in my race in November, Georgia is not a blue state,” Perdue said.

FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2021, file photo President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally for Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and David Perdue at Dalton Regional Airport in Dalton, Ga. Trump will be making his first post-presidential appearance at a conservative gathering in Florida next weekend. Ian Walters, spokesman for the American Conservative Union, confirmed that Trump will be speaking at the group's annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 28. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)WASHINGTON – Donald Trump will be making his first post-presidential appearance at a conservative gathering in Florida next weekend. Ian Walters, spokesman for the American Conservative Union, confirmed that Trump will be speaking at the group's annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 28. AdTrump has a long history with CPAC, which played a key role in his emergence as a political force.

Ivanka Trump comes onto stage as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in support of Senate candidates Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and David Perdue in Dalton, Ga., Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON – Ivanka Trump will not be running for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's U.S. Senate seat in 2022 as she settles into life after Washington. Lara Trump, the former president's daughter-in-law, who served as a chief campaign surrogate, is still considering running for the Senate in North Carolina. And the former president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., remains deeply popular with his father's base. AdIn a pair of friendly statements, Rubio and Ivanka Trump praised one another for their efforts together working on issues like paid family leave.

“As it relates to the Atlanta Dream, we understand a sale of the franchise is close to being finalized,” the league said in a statement. An Atlanta Dream spokeswoman said the team had no comment on the impending sale at this time. Brian Kemp, didn't immediately sell the team, WNBA players started to endorse and campaign for her opponent, Democrat Raphael Warnock, who defeated Loeffler in Georgia's runoff election on Jan. 5. Loeffler, a wealthy businesswoman who had closely aligned herself with Trump, has been an owner of the Dream since 2011. The Dream would be the second WNBA franchise sold this month.

The certification by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger officially seals Warnock and Ossoff's victories over their Republican opponents in the Jan. 5 runoffs. Once Warnock and Ossoff are sworn in, there will be a 50-50 partisan divide in the Senate, giving Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote. Biden in November became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992, while Warnock and Ossoff are the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. Loeffler gave a farewell speech from the Senate floor Tuesday, where she thanked her supporters and wished Warnock well. Perdue's term ended Jan. 3, while Loeffler remains in the Senate until Warnock is sworn in because she was appointed to fill Isakson's unexpired term.

Ivanka Trump comes onto stage as President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in support of Senate candidates Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and David Perdue in Dalton, Ga., Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON – Ivanka Trump's global women's development program is about halfway toward its goal of helping 50 million women in developing countries advance economically by 2025. That's according to an annual report for the U.S. government's Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative released Wednesday as the program nears its two-year mark. President Trump established the program in February 2019, directing the U.S. government to make global women's development a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy and national security. Ivanka Trump has promoted the program during visits to Africa and South America.

“The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration,” Trump said. As Trump wrapped up, thousands of his supporters were already heading to the Capitol, where lawmakers convened to count the electoral votes. In the end, his administration has overseen the construction of roughly 450 miles of border wall construction — likely reaching 475 miles by Inauguration Day. A few dozen Trump supporters rallied hours before his visit to the Rio Grande Valley near the Harlingen, Texas, airport, where he was scheduled to land. Beyond touting the wall, Trump rapidly listed his massive changes on the border aimed at discouraging asylum.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON – Democrats' momentum for a fresh drive to quickly impeach outgoing President Donald Trump gained support Saturday, and a top Republican said the president's role in the deadly riot at the Capitol by a violent mob of Trump supporters was worthy of rebuke. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said he believed Trump had committed “impeachable offenses.” But he did not explicitly say whether he would vote to remove the president from office at the conclusion of a Senate trial if the House sent over articles of impeachment. “I do think the president committed impeachable offenses, but I don’t know what is going to land on the Senate floor, if anything," Toomey said. Late Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to her Democratic colleagues reiterating that Trump must be held accountable — but stopped short of committing to an impeachment vote. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I, a leader of the House effort to draft impeachment articles — or charges — accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, said his group had grown to include 185 co-sponsors.

It occurred as election officials were conducting an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes in Cobb County. Trump pressed the investigator to look into Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that contains most of Atlanta. AdVarious election officials across the country and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. During another call in early December, Trump pressed Georgia Gov. In last week’s call with Raffensperger, Trump urged the secretary of state to change the certified results.

In a state long dominated by Republicans, Democrats won Georgia’s electoral votes for president in November and two U.S. Senate seats in runoff elections Tuesday, defeating Kemp's hand-picked Senate appointee. And the defeats of both Loeffler and fellow Republican David Perdue handed control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats. Some Republicans blame Trump and his false claims of election fraud for hurting GOP turnout in the the Senate runoffs. “I’ll be here in about a year and a half, campaigning against your governor,” Trump said. “I guarantee it.”The strain on Kemp was on display Tuesday when the governor attended an election-night event for the GOP Senate candidates before their defeats were sealed.

Lawmakers were resolved to complete their constitutional duty despite frayed nerves, high tensions and the nation’s capital on alert. The only other challenge was to the Pennsylvania electors, but that was also debated and denied. Florida Sen. Rick Scott was one of only eight in the nation who voted to sustain one or both objections. Florida’s senior senator, Marco Rubio, voted with the majority to accept the Electoral College vote and called on Trump to do more to help restore order. In the House, 12 Florida congressmen and six from Georgia voted to object to either the Arizona or Pennsylvania slate of Biden electors.

ATLANTA – Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler on Thursday conceded to Democrat Raphael Warnock in one of two Georgia Senate runoffs that will give control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats. With his victory in Tuesday’s election, Warnock becomes the first African American from Georgia elected to the Senate. “Unfortunately we came up slightly short in the runoff election,” Loeffler says in the video. Democrat Jon Ossoff beat Republican David Perdue in Georgia’s other Senate runoff. Tuesday's runoff election broke turnout records for a Georgia runoff, with more than 4.4 million ballots cast.

Brian Kemp, during a press conference Wednesday evening, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, to condemn the breach of the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The reaction is just coming in from locals and lawmakers over the results of Georgia’s runoff elections after Trump’s mob siege on the Capitol overshadowed the historic outcomes. Political newcomers and Democrats Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock defeated their opponents, both incumbent Republicans Sens. “I called Reverend Warnock and Jon Ossoff this morning to congratulate them on their hard-fought campaigns. “The insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol was incited by Trump’s poisonous lies & flagrant assault on our Constitution.

Tennessee's GOP senators abandoned the effort, as did Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., who lost her runoff election Tuesday, helping to deliver control of the Senate to Democrats. Wisconsin's GOP Sen. Ron Johnson dropped out, as did James Lankford, R-Okla., a promising younger Republican who raised eyebrows when initially supporting the effort. We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation," said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “We are back at our posts. As senators debated, Trump took it on the chin from longtime critics like Mitt Romney, R-Utah. Enough is enough.”Romney, the party's 2012 nominee, reminded his colleagues that he knows how unpleasant it is to lose a presidential election, drawing hearty laughter.

Multiple Republican senators reversed course Wednesday evening, saying they won’t object to congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Their change of heart came after a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol earlier Wednesday and interrupted their proceedings. “The events that transpired have forced me to reconsider, and I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors,” Loeffler said. Lawmakers gathered to certify the Electoral College votes from each state were forced to evacuate after an angry mob of Trump supporters descended on the Capitol. She lost her Senate race to Democrat Raphael Warnock earlier Wednesday.

Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of two runoffs in Georgia with a broad coalition of voters including Black Americans, moderates and suburban women. Democrats narrowly edged out Republicans among that group, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 3,700 Georgia voters. Black voters — 32% of the electorate in the runoff, according to the survey — supported Ossoff and Warnock almost universally. VoteCast showed Black voters were 29% of the November electorate. About 6 in 10 Georgia voters say they were contacted on behalf of Democratic candidates, compared with about half for Republican candidates, according to VoteCast.

Raphael Warnock's roots showed little promise of a future that led to the U.S. Senate. He grew up in Savannah in the Kayton Homes public housing project, the second youngest of 12 children. “Only in America is my story even possible,” Warnock told the cheering drive-in crowd Sunday. Warnock was arrested at the Georgia state Capitol in 2014 while protesting the refusal of state Republicans to expand Medicaid. Warnock recalled the Washington arrest during his speech Sunday in Savannah, as he looked ahead to his next trip to Capitol Hill.

___HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GEORGIA SENATE ELECTIONSGeorgia’s two Senate runoff elections determined which party will soon control the U.S. Senate. Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock, while Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated Republican David Perdue. The Associated Press has called the runoffs for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. The Senate race in Georgia between incumbent Republican David Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff is too early to call. The contest between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican David Perdue remains too early to call.

Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeated Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Loeffler has not yet conceded, but the Associated Press and major television networks declared Warnock the winner early Wednesday morning. At midday Wednesday, unofficial results showed Warnock was more than 44,000 votes ahead of Loeffler. Democrats will now have a majority in the Senate the first two years of Joe Biden’s presidency. It shatters the previous 2.1 million set in 2008 in the runoff between Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin.

A defiant Sen. Kelly Loeffler has not yet conceded to her opponent Raphael Warnock, who has been declared the projected winner in the Georgia Senate runoff. Of the votes counted so far, the margin separating Warnock and Loeffler is 1.2%. In the other Senate runoff race, Democrat Ossoff was in the lead by more than 17,000 votes. That would also likely widen Warnock’s lead over Sen. Loeffler, keeping him even further out of recount territory. The Secretary of State’s deadline to certify state results is January 22.

Martin Luther King Jr. preached, becomes the first African American from Georgia elected to the Senate. They also cemented the transformation of Georgia, once a solidly Republican state, into one of the nation’s premier battlegrounds for the foreseeable future. “This campaign has been about health and jobs and justice for the people of this state — for all the people of this state,” Ossoff said in a speech broadcast on social media Wednesday morning. Trump’s claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, while meritless, resonated with Republican voters in Georgia. AP VoteCast found that 6 in 10 Georgia voters say Senate party control was the most important factor in their vote.

But Black voters were a force in the early vote and on Election Day. Notably, it wasn’t just in metro Atlanta, but also in rural and small-town counties across South Georgia, where Black turnout has historically lagged. That means it was an alliance spanning from the most affluent Black residents of Atlanta, including recent transplants to Georgia, to those Black Georgia natives who hail from the most economically depressed pockets of the state. But Black voters can point to Tuesday’s vote count and take credit for that strategy ending in defeat. According to AP VoteCast, Republican voters are siding with Trump: About 6 in 10 approve of Kemp’s handling of the election aftermath.

In defeating Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, Democrats will have half the seats in the chamber, leaving Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to serve as tiebreaker. About three-quarters of voters who backed Republican candidates in Georgia's Senate runoffs say Biden was not legitimately elected two months ago. Nearly two-thirds of all Georgia voters were pessimistic about the nation’s future. Georgia voters were keenly aware of what was at stake. That position was in line with Georgia voters.

“Looks like they are setting up a big ‘voter dump’ against the Republican candidates. The candidate lead swings can be particularly pronounced when votes are recorded in population-dense counties, which often favor Democratic candidates. Trump's tweet revisits a similar baseless claim that he made about his own loss in November to President-elect Joe Biden. Trump has repeatedly — and falsely — claimed that his loss to Biden was the product of widespread voter fraud. Raffensperger repeatedly rebuffed Trump's request and his office has conducted several tallies and recounts.

As the hour slipped past 2 a.m. on the East Coast, Democrat Raphael Warnock beat Republican Kelly Loeffler. King and MSNBC's Kornacki dominated their networks with headache-inducing number crunching. Warnock and Ossoff jumped to early leads, but as more votes came in, the Republicans swung in front. After midnight, the Times judged both Warnock and Ossoff had a better than 95% chance of winning. Fox News spent less time on raw numbers to showcase their prime-time stars, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

One question the Associated Press asked voters is how that issue weighed on their minds in deciding how to vote -- and clearly, it weighed heavily. Another question asked how confident voters were that votes were counted accurately in the November 2020 presidential election. Most of those voters favored Perdue over Ossoff -- 96% to 4%. In the race between Loeffler and Warnock, nearly all of the voters who felt this way, also favored Loeffler. Those voters favored Ossoff over Perdue -- 56% to 44%.

But Black voters were a force in the early vote and on Election Day. Notably, it wasn’t just in metro Atlanta, but also in rural and small-town counties across South Georgia, where Black turnout has historically lagged. That means it was an alliance spanning from the most affluent Black residents of Atlanta, including recent transplants to Georgia, to those Black Georgia natives who hail from the most economically depressed pockets of the state. But Black voters can point to Tuesday’s vote count and take credit for that strategy ending in defeat. According to AP VoteCast, Republican voters are siding with Trump: About 6 in 10 approve of Kemp’s handling of the election aftermath.

The call was made after an analysis of outstanding ballots showed there was no way for Perdue, who was seeking a second term, to overtake Ossoff’s lead. Tens of thousands of outstanding votes remain to be counted, but the vast majority were in six Democratic-leaning counties that Ossoff was winning. Many of the ballots left to be counted were mail votes, a form of voting that overwhelmingly favored Ossoff. The remaining votes left to be counted in Republican-leaning areas that favored Perdue were not enough for him to catch up. Until Warnock, a Democrat hadn't won a U.S. Senate contest in the state since former Georgia Gov.

Nearly two-thirds of all Georgia voters were pessimistic about the nation’s future. In November, about three-quarters of Republican voters in Georgia considered the nation on the right track. Georgia voters were keenly aware of what was at stake. After weeks of the GOP candidates warning about the impact of Democratic control of the White House, House and Senate, Republican backers were more likely to prioritize holding a Senate majority than Democratic supporters. That position was in line with Georgia voters.

Pastor challenging senator appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill remaining two years of term of Sen. Johnny Isakson, who resigned in late 2019.

ATLANTA – Voting precincts in Georgia closed Tuesday at 7 p.m. in what’s been the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history. After the polls closed, the state began counting vote-by-mail ballots in addition to the votes cast Tuesday. More than 3 million Georgians had voted early, either by mail or during in-person voting in December. If Democrats win both seats, they will have control of the Senate, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will become the tiebreaking vote. The early turnout was expected to benefit Democrats, as it helped Biden in November become the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1992.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON – Two high-stakes runoff elections in Georgia are poised to determine which party controls the Senate over the next two years. What the contests won't do is affect the certification of Electoral College results by Congress. Regardless of the outcome of their races, it won’t change the calculus in Congress when it comes to the Electoral College certification process. And thanks to quirks in Georgia election law, Perdue won’t be able to cast a vote Wednesday even if he wins. If he wins, he can retake his seat after the results of his election are certified later this month and Georgia Gov.

(AP Photo/Ben Gray)ATLANTA – Voters across Georgia cast their ballots Tuesday to decide which party will control the U.S. Senate. “I feel like for the Republican candidates to still stand there with Trump and campaign with Trump feels pretty rotten. James said he was worried about losing a balance of power in Washington if Democrats win control of the Senate. ___ANGELA TRAN, 27Tran voted for Warnock and Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff at a church in downtown Atlanta. Tran said the attack ads against Warnock actually swayed her to vote for him and Ossoff.

Here are some big questions as the 2020 election cycle finally nears a close:DOES TRUMP HELP OR HURT HIS PARTY? While Biden nipped Trump, Perdue led Ossoff by about 88,000 votes in November, finishing just short of the outright majority required to avoid a runoff. Perdue was within a few thousand votes of Trump, leaving Ossoff about 100,000 votes behind Biden’s pace. About 115,000 Senate votes in the Perdue-Ossoff contest went to a Libertarian. Warnock and Ossoff talk often of a “new Georgia” as they concentrate efforts around Atlanta and the state’s mid-size cities.

Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, are challenging incumbent Republicans’ David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in the race that will determine which party will control the Senate. No matter who wins these races, there will be a razor-thin majority in the Senate. In an AP VoteCast survey of voters, among those who voted for Perdue – 57% approve of how Georgia Gov. Among those who voted for Ossoff, 44% approve of Kemp’s handling on the election results, compared to 54% who disapprove. Even Jacksonville television was saturated with political advertising with the candidates doing everything they could to reach Georgia voters in the viewing area.

Georgia's two Senate runoff elections on Tuesday will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. ___HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GEORGIA SENATE ELECTIONSGeorgia’s two Senate runoff elections Tuesday will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Democrats need to win both of Georgia’s Senate runoff elections to claim the Senate majority. Georgia’s two Senate runoff elections on Tuesday will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Georgians are voting on two Senate runoff elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate.

ATLANTA – Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs Wednesday, becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the party's reach. Warnock, 51, acknowledged his improbable victory in a message to supporters early Wednesday, citing his family’s experience with poverty. Trump's claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, while meritless, resonated with Republican voters in Georgia. AP VoteCast found that 6 in 10 Georgia voters say Senate party control was the most important factor in their vote. “I feel like for the Republican candidates to still stand there with Trump and campaign with Trump feels pretty rotten.

It is unclear just what the Republican senators will do, but the process could drag into the night as the two chambers will have to consider each objection individually. In 2017, several House Democrats challenged Trump’s win, but Biden, who presided at the time as the vice president, swiftly dismissed them to assert Trump’s victory. And more than a dozen Republican senators have said they will not support the effort. Facing the criticism from many in his own party, Cruz has attempted to put a finer point on his challenge. The commission remains his focus, he has said, not to undo the election results, even though that would be the practical effect of a successful objection.

What’s a runoff election? Runoff elections are second elections held if no candidate reaches the necessary requirement of votes during the first election. Why is there a runoff election in Georgia? If that doesn’t happen, then the top two vote-getters square off in a runoff election. Why are the Georgia runoff races so important?

ATLANTA – Polls will open Tuesday for a rare Georgia runoff election because no candidate for either Senate seat had 50% of the vote in November. Election Day. That would give Democrats a Senate majority to go along with their control of the House and executive branch. A recorded phone call with Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, has sparked debate from both Republicans and Democrats. “You just can’t let them steal the U.S. Senate, you can’t let it happen.”More than 3 million Georgians already have voted.

Trump says “the stakes in this election could not be higher” as he warns a boisterous crowd of several thousand supporters about Democrats winning control of the Senate. The crowd shouted back, “Fight for Trump.”Trump is also repeating the false assertion that he won the presidential race in Georgia. Trump says he’s had two elections in Georgia, and “I won both.”He is also promising he will be returning to Georgia in a year and a half to campaign against the state’s Republican Gov. Earlier Monday, President-elect Joe Biden campaigned for Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Trump is continuing to push Republican lawmakers to fight Biden's electoral victory when Congress meets to affirm the vote on Wednesday.

It’s a new year, and tomorrow can be a new day for Atlanta, for Georgia and for America,” Biden said at a drive-in rally. The call highlighted how Trump has used the Georgia campaign to make clear his continued hold on Republican politics. A top Georgia election official said hours before Trump's rally that he “wanted to scream” after hearing audio of the president's call with Raffensperger. Biden said he needs a Senate majority to pass legislation to combat the coronavirus, and he blasted Perdue and Loeffler as obstructionist Trump loyalists. Ossoff and Warnock have countered with warnings that a Republican Senate will stymie Biden's administration, especially on pandemic relief.

Perdue got about 88,000 more votes than Ossoff in the general election, but a Libertarian candidate’s 115,000 votes kept him from topping 50%, which is required to win. Warnock got 1.6 million votes, while Loeffler got nearly 1.3 million and Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins placed third with nearly a million votes. No ballots, including absentee ballots received in advance of Election Day, can be counted until the polls close. Second, Republican voters have been more likely to vote in person, either on Election Day or during the early voting period. In November, more than 5 percent of Georgia’s votes were counted after noon on the day after Election Day.

“The party has a real choice to make on where we go from here,” said Michael McNeely, a former Georgia Republican vice chairman. Trump fueled Republican turnout, especially in rural areas and small towns, that overwhelmed Democrats in states less diverse than Georgia. Plenty of Georgia Republicans embrace Trump’s imprint, at least publicly. “Absolutely four Republican votes in this house,” she said, including her young adult children casting absentee ballots. But all three are Democratic districts, and they include the two most concentrated Democratic districts, the 4th and 5th in the metro Atlanta core.

Though he got nothing but cheers Monday night, Trump's attempt to overturn the presidential election i s splitting the Republican Party. Trump repeated numerous times his claims of election fraud, which have been rejected by election officials — Republican as well as Democratic in state after state — and courts up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Two current Republican senators, Rob Portman of Ohio and Mike Lee of Utah, joined the growing number who now oppose the legislators' challenge. Larry Hogan of Maryland; Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking House GOP leader; and former House Speaker Paul Ryan — have criticized the GOP efforts to overturn the election. Cruz's coalition of 11 Republican senators vows to reject the Electoral College tallies unless Congress launches a commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results.

The final days of campaigning in the two Georgia Senate Seats that will determine the balance of power have arrived. “And Savannah, you have the decision to elect two United States Senators,” Harris said to the crowd. It’s why President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be in the Peach State Monday night hours before polls open. “Are you ready to show America that Georgia’s a red state?” Loeffler said. Are you ready to welcome President Trump to Georgia on Monday night?”

Georgia counted its votes three times before certifying Biden's win by a 11,779 margin, Raffensperger noted: “President Trump, we’ve had several lawsuits, and we’ve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. The Associated Press obtained the full audio of Trump’s conversation with Georgia officials from a person on the call. The Georgia officials on the call are heard repeatedly pushing back against the president’s assertions, telling him that he’s relying on debunked theories and, in one case, selectively edited video. “He has no clue!” Trump tweeted of Raffensperger, saying the state official “was unwilling, or unable” to answer questions. Raffensperger’s Twitter response: “Respectfully, President Trump: What you’re saying is not true.

Biden and his team have steered at least $18 million to help Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock try to unseat Republican Sens. The pair has planned media interviews in markets across Georgia, including morning and late-afternoon “drive-time” radio on Election Day. That included 3.6 million early ballots and about 1.4 million on Election Day. In Biden’s camp, meanwhile, O’Malley Dillon said there’s a confidence that Georgia, regardless of its outcome, already has proven a new path for Democrats under Biden. And O'Malley Dillon said the Georgia investments demonstrate Biden’s willingness to lend his brand across the country, even in GOP strongholds.

Both of Georgia's Senate seats weren't supposed to be up for grabs in 2020. As for the challengers, Ossoff and Warnock are seeking to become the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. If he defeats Perdue, Ossoff would be the Senate's youngest member at age 33. The November elections resulted in Republicans holding 50 Senate seats and Democrats controlling 48. Trump has scheduled a Monday rally with Perdue and Loeffler in conservative northwest Georgia.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Saturday announced a coalition of 11 senators and senators-elect who have been enlisted for Trump's effort to subvert the will of American voters. But their challenges, and those from House Republicans, represent the most sweeping effort to undo a presidential election outcome since the Civil War. said the Republican effort to create a federal commission “to supersede state certifications" is wrong. On the other side of the Republican divide, several senators spoke out Saturday against Cruz and Hawley's effort. McConnell had previously warned GOP senators not to participate in raising objections, saying it would be a terrible vote for colleagues.

The president has spread unfounded assertions of voter fraud and blasted Georgia Republican officials, including Gov. Democrats are fine with the GOP senators' decision to run as Trump Republicans and use exaggerated attacks. But the early vote already has set a statewide Georgia runoff turnout record. McNeely, the former state GOP leader, lamented that even if Perdue and Loeffler win, their campaigns move Georgia further away from a more centrist tradition. But he rose through the Georgia General Assembly in an era when Democrats dominated the state.

The president has spread unfounded assertions of voter fraud and blasted Georgia Republican officials, including Gov. Democrats are fine with the GOP senators' decision to run as Trump Republicans and use exaggerated attacks. But the early vote already has set a statewide Georgia runoff turnout record. McNeely, the former state GOP leader, lamented that even if Perdue and Loeffler win, their campaigns move Georgia further away from a more centrist tradition. But he rose through the Georgia General Assembly in an era when Democrats dominated the state.

ATLANTA – The consequences of Georgia’s twin Senate runoffs are well known: They’ll determine which party controls the Senate in the new Congress. November elections guaranteed Republicans at least 50 Senate seats for the 117th Congress, which convenes for the first time in January as set by federal law. Democrats won 48 Senate seats. The Georgia seats remain up for grabs because no candidates got an outright majority as state law requires. One Republican victory would keep the Senate under GOP control throughout the next Congress (barring an unforeseen vacancy).

Both of Georgia's Senate seats weren't supposed to be up for grabs in 2020. As for the challengers, Ossoff and Warnock are seeking to become the first Democrats to win a U.S. Senate election in Georgia since 2000. If he defeats Perdue, Ossoff would be the Senate's youngest member at age 33. The November elections resulted in Republicans holding 50 Senate seats and Democrats controlling 48. Trump has scheduled a Monday rally with Perdue and Loeffler in conservative northwest Georgia.

David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler belatedly declared their support on Tuesday for one-time payments of $2,000 that Trump and Democrats endorse but most congressional Republicans oppose. Perdue told Fox & Friends in a Tuesday morning interview he’d be “delighted” to back a $1,400 increase in individual payments. That could allow Loeffler and Perdue to cast a “yes” vote on the record, giving them partial political cover even if the measure doesn’t pass. Perdue and Loeffler, meanwhile, have anchored their arguments against Ossoff and Warnock with warnings that their election would herald a socialist expansion of government. “We’re the firewall for stopping socialism,” Loeffler declared on Fox in the same segment she endorsed the $2,000 direct payments to Americans.

President Donald Trump, flanked by first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump, waves from the top of the steps of Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach. PALM BEACH, Fla. – According to the Sun-Sentinel, an anonymous report said that a top official with the Republican Party of Florida suggested Palm Beach International Airport be renamed after the 45th president. The Sun-Sentinel also reported that Melania Trump is “reportedly scoping out elite private schools in South Florida for their 14-year-old son Barron Trump.”Christian Ziegler, a top official with the Republican Party of Florida, said Palm Beach International Airport — just down the road from Mar-a-Lago — “would be named in the president’s honor.”“It would be the South Florida gateway for the former president’s adoring fans,” Christian Ziegler told the Sun-Sentinel. Citing anonymous White House sources, The Daily Beast reported that Trump has asked aides what it would take to get a major U.S. airport named in his honor. The same sources say Trump speculated about having a future aircraft carrier named the USS Donald Trump.

Peterson, like many voters in this area of Atlanta, voted for Democrat Joe Biden but also cast votes for Republican Senate candidates in November. Some of Georgia's most affluent voters, formerly reliable cornerstones of the state's once-ascendant Republican majority, live in million-dollar houses here. Perdue led Ossoff by about 88,000 votes, although the incumbent fell short of the majority required in Georgia because of votes won by a Libertarian. Perdue also ran ahead of Trump in wealthier areas of DeKalb County, a Democratic bastion where Trump won only two of 191 precincts and lost some areas 20-to-1. Once a registered Republican in Pennsylvania — Georgia doesn't register voters by party — Levin said she has “zero respect” for Perdue and Loeffler.

Republicans need one more seat for a majority in the Senate, while Democrats need to win both races. Early voting ends Thursday in most counties (see locations/dates/times below) since Friday is a state holiday. In the Nov. 3 general election, more than half of the record 5 million votes cast were done by mail or through early voting. Southeast Georgia early voting locations, timesDuring early voting, people don’t go to their regular polling places for early voting. Instead, they can choose to go to their county registrar’s office or any other early voting location established by county election boards.

U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger for U.S. Senate Raphael Warnock appear during a debate on Dec. 6 in Atlanta. ATLANTA – When Georgia Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock advanced to the Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoff, they faced the immediate challenge of winning over the 2 million voters who chose one of the 18 other candidates in November's election. In Georgia's second runoff election, Republican U.S. Sen David Perdue started with an even wider lead, having won 88,000 more votes in November than Democrat Jon Ossoff. Miles Coleman of the University of Virginia Center for Politics said the joint effort has helped Warnock wrap up Democratic voters. Henderson also frets that Loeffler has never been to his county, so far from Atlanta that many watch out-of-state television.

Raphael Warnock addresses supporters during a rally with Jon Ossoff in Atlanta on the first day of early voting for the senate runoff, Dec. 14, 2020. Raphael Warnock, who is trying to unseat Sen. Kelly Loeffler, was close behind with a little over $103 million. Perdue reported $68 million over the same two-month span, with Loeffler taking in just under $64 million. The two races will determine which party controls the Senate — and likely how ambitious President-elect Joe Biden can be with his agenda. That will likely enable Biden to enact a more ambitious agenda, assuming he can keep fellow Democrats on board.

Many Republican voters in Georgia are angry; certain that widespread voter fraud claims of which are baseless cost President Donald Trump the election. The companies deny several statements made about them, and there is no evidence any voting system switched or deleted votes in the 2020 election. That came days after Smartmatic sent a letter threatening legal action to Fox and two other networks popular with Trump supporters, Newsmax and One America News Network. A statement aired by Newsmax anchors on Monday, and also printed on the company website, was much broader and concerned both Smartmatic and Dominion. “No evidence has been offered that Dominion or Smartmatic used software or reprogrammed software that manipulated votes in the 2020 election,” Newsmax said.

MILTON, Ga. – Campaigning in Georgia on Monday, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris stressed a need to elect Democratic U.S. Senate candidates who will advance President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda. Ivanka Trump, meanwhile, warned that failing to reelect the two Republican incumbents in next month’s crucial runoff could erode her father’s legislative achievements. Trump, President Donald Trump's daughter and a senior White House adviser, stumped with Republican U.S. Sens. Over the crowd's shouts of “We love Trump!” and “Fight for Trump!” she implored voters to send Republicans back to the Senate “to protect all that America stands for." In a tweet announcing his Georgia plans, Trump continued to express anger at Republican Gov.

Brian Kemp in December last year was widely seen as a way for the Georgia GOP to appeal to moderate suburban women. Or would she heed the plea for bipartisanship made in a farewell speech by her predecessor, retired Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson? Critics say Loeffler took a hard-right turn once she drew a challenge from staunch Trump ally and fellow Republican Doug Collins. Loeffler's campaign did not make her available for an interview and did not respond to questions sent by email. Loeffler's connection to the company poses potentially deep conflicts of interest on Senate matters dealing with the regulation of financial markets.

Trump announced on Twitter late Saturday that he would return on Jan. 4, the night before than Jan. 5 election, to ask the state’s voters to support Sens. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over his loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden in November. Trump, though, has refused to accept the results, alleging without evidence a conspiracy to throw the election to Biden. It will be Trump’s second appearance for the candidates, after an earlier rally in Valdosta. Republicans in Georgia, for example, sent an alternate slate of electors to Congress, saying they were preserving their options in case Trump won a court contest challenging Georgia’s results.

Now Warnock is the politician running for office and the one under attack for his sometimes impassioned words from the pulpit. His opponent, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, has blasted his rhetoric and proposals as “radical,” socialist and out of step with Georgia residents. At the Georgia Capitol in 2014, he was arrested while protesting the refusal of state Republicans to expand Medicaid. Warnock said he was trying to make sure young people had lawyers or family present when questioned by authorities. Warnock is right to keep focusing on his platform of a living wage, expanded health care options and voting rights, said the Rev.

If either Republican wins, their party will keep a one-vote majority that could block Biden’s legislative initiatives and judicial nominees. The Republicans are driving that point home with traditionally conservative South Georgia voters, calling their opponents radicals and portraying them as puppets of liberal Democrats in Washington. “This is week two of my ‘Georgia Firewall Tour,’” Loeffler said Saturday during her campaign stop in Glynn County. “It does seem to me like we’re in for a higher turnout election than is typical for a runoff,” McDonald said. The last time there was a runoff for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia -- 2008 -- about 2 million votes were casts and Republican Saxby Chambliss defeated Democrat Jim Martin.

ATLANTA – Vice President Mike Pence has seemingly been holding rallies everywhere in Georgia lately. President Donald Trump rounded out the map with a Dec. 5 rally in Valdosta in south Georgia. A win by either Perdue or Loeffler would keep the Senate majority in the hands of Republicans. “A drop of 10% or 15% in places like Valdosta,” he added, could make “swing voters in Gwinnett County” moot. In November, Perdue pushed his margins across many of the north Georgia counties to 80%.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)ATLANTA – Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia on Wednesday declined to rule out a formal protest of Democrat Joe Biden's victory when Congress convenes next month to certify the presidential election results. Those voters will be crucial in the Jan. 5 runoffs as Loeffler takes on Democrat Raphael Warnock and Perdue faces Democrat Jon Ossoff. Following the Electoral College's affirmation on Monday of Biden's victory, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell broke his weeks of silence on the matter to congratulate Biden and call on his fellow Republican senators not to dispute the results. It’s disrespectful to Georgia voters to say anything else.”Loeffler could do little more than momentarily delay the final certification of Biden’s victory over Trump. “I have fought alongside President Trump since day one to get our agenda accomplished, and I continue to stand with him now,” he said.

Democrat Jon Ossoff challenger Republican David Perdue for one U.S. Senate seat; Democrat Raphael Warnock is running against Republican Kelly Loeffler for Georgia's other seat. Two runoff races underway for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats have Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff trying to oust Republican Sens. Because the outcome will decide which party controls the Senate, the nation is watching. ON THE ISSUES: Loeffler vs. Warnock | Ossoff vs. PerdueBecause control of the U.S. Senate is in the hands of Georgia voters, campaign money is flooding into the state and big-name politicians, including President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden, have appeared at rallies. Who they are and where they stand on the issues: Loeffler vs. Warnock | Ossoff vs. Perdue

Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock received the most votes in a wild, 20-candidate special election in November to advance to a runoff for one of two U.S. Senate races in Georgia this year. Loeffler graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned an MBA from DePaul University. Loeffler and her husband Sprecher are reportedly worth more than $500 million, making her the richest member of the Senate. Below is information about Loeffler and Warnock. We have gathered same information about the candidate in Georgia’s other U.S. Senate race, Jon Ossoff and David Perdue.

ATLANTA – President-elect Joe Biden told Georgia voters on Tuesday they must deliver two Democratic Senate runoffs victories in January so his administration can forcefully confront the coronavirus pandemic and other national challenges. “They fully embraced nullifying nearly 5 million Georgia votes,” said Biden, the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the state since 1992. Democrats would need to win both Georgia seats to force a 50-50 Senate, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tiebreaking vote. Republicans need one of the two Georgia seats for McConnell to remain majority leader and set the Senate agenda. Biden also used the trip to catch up with key supporters who helped him win Georgia.

Early voting starts TODAY. Some Atlanta-area early voting sites in October and November saw people lined up for hours. More than half of the record 5 million votes in the Nov. 3 general election were cast during the two-week early voting period. During early voting, people don’t go to their regular polling places for early voting. Instead, they can choose to go to their county registrar’s office or any other early voting location established by county election boards.

Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center in Atlanta on the first day of early voting for the senate runoff Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)ATLANTA – Early in-person voting began Monday in the runoff elections for Georgia's two U.S. Senate seats, with lines reported to be shorter than in the first days of early voting for the general election last month. More than half of the record 5 million votes in the Nov. 3 general election were cast during its three-week early voting period. In an overnight tweet just hours before early voting began, he continued his attack on Georgia Gov. Preparation for early voting saw squabbles over cuts to the number of early polling places.

Loeffler did not know who Chester Doles was when she took a picture with him, her campaign spokesman Stephen Lawson said in a statement to The Associated Press on Sunday. The picture was taken Friday at a campaign event in Dawsonville, Georgia. Doles is a longtime white supremacist who spent decades in the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazi National Alliance. ALERT: Kelly Loeffler just posed for a photo with Chester Doles, a former KKK leader who runs the white supremacist American Patriots USA. President-elect Joe Biden plans to visit Atlanta this week to campaign for Ossoff and Warnock.

Early voting will begin Monday for Georgia’s two U.S. Senate runoff races. The national political spotlight is shining on the runoffs that will determine control of the Senate. Early voting runs from Monday, Dec. 14, to Friday, Jan. 1. Republicans need one more seat for a majority in the Senate, while Democrats need a sweep on Jan. 5. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to travel to Georgia on Tuesday for a rally in support of the Democratic candidates.

Many Republican voters in Georgia are angry; certain that widespread voter fraud claims of which are baseless cost President Donald Trump the election. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, File)ATLANTA – Many Republican voters in Georgia are angry. They're convinced that widespread voter fraud — claims that are baseless — cost President Donald Trump the election to Democrat Joe Biden. But interviews with voters and party activists in the state suggest there's little sign that Trump's voters are planning to stay home in protest. Jeanne Seaver, a Republican activist in Georgia who worked on Trump's 2016 campaign, said she believes that Republican voters will still come out to support Perdue and Loeffler despite the anger on the ground.

Democrats need a Georgia sweep to force a 50-50 Senate and position Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote. On Saturday, the president used a 100-minute rally to spread unfounded allegations of widespread misconduct in last month’s voting in Georgia and beyond. “Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror,” Trump told rallygoers. “I want you to be confident about your vote," Pence said. “That’s just not Georgia to me," said Davis, 57, who helped run her late husband's medical business.

But the funding behind the group will likely remain a mystery until well after ballots are cast in the Jan. 5 election. Yet unlike other similar outside groups operating in the state, Peachtree PAC has taken steps to mask who its donors are until Jan. 31, according to Federal Election Commission records. Groups like Peachtree PAC are often referred to as “pop up " PACs, which have been embraced by Republicans and Democrats alike. This new activity through Peachtree PAC will articulate the stakes couldn’t be higher as the future of freedom is on the ballot,” SLF President Steven Law said in a statement. CNN was first to report that Senate Leadership Fund was operating Peachtree PAC.

Dozens of state lawmakers, elected officials and party leaders in recent weeks have endorsed and advanced Trump’s false claims, and in some cases called for undemocratic actions to reverse results. None of the moves have had an impact on the election results — and even Republican governors have certified Biden’s win. In Texas, the state's Republican attorney general has filed a lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court demanding that other states' Electoral College votes be invalidated. Even in liberal Massachusetts, five GOP candidates who lost their races filed a federal lawsuit Monday trying to decertify the state’s election results, recycling claims about irregularities and voting machines. Meanwhile, Trump's attempts to personally persuade GOP lawmakers, governors and state election officials to intervene have failed.

If you’re not already registered to vote ahead of Georgia’s Jan. 5 runoff elections, Monday is your last chance. Monday also marks the final day for Georgians to change their names or addresses on the voter registration list. Georgians can register to vote or update their registration details on the Secretary of State’s website. Elections officials say that lawyer went online and tried to register using his brother’s Georgia address. Raffensperger said anyone who moves to Georgia to vote in the runoffs with no intention of staying will be committing a felony, and will therefore face legal consequences for their actions.

Democratic challenger for U.S. Senate Raphael Warnock speaks during a debate with Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, Pool)ATLANTA – Sen. Kelly Loeffler repeatedly refused to acknowledge that President Donald Trump lost reelection in November, as she debated her Democratic opponent, Rev. But Loeffler steered clear of any criticism of Trump, even as she tacitly acknowledged his defeat. The debate came a day after Trump campaigned in Georgia alongside the two senators. Loeffler blamed Democratic leaders for Congress' failure to pass a new round of assistance this fall.

According to a tweet from the governor, Trump also asked him to order an audit of absentee ballots from the presidential race in his state. Trump on Sunday tweeted more unproved allegations that Georgia’s election was fraudulent, blaming Kemp and Duncan for inaction. Signature verification & call a Special Session. State lawmakers could call a special session on their own, but only if 60% of members in both houses of the General Assembly demanded a session in writing. “I don’t believe that there’s the will in the General Assembly for a special session,” Raffensperger said.

ATLANTA – Sen. Kelly Loeffler repeatedly refused to acknowledge that President Donald Trump lost reelection in November, as she debated her Democratic opponent, Rev. Raphael Warnock, ahead of twin Georgia runoff elections that will determine which party controls the Senate. But Loeffler steered clear of any criticism of Trump, even as she tacitly acknowledged his defeat. The debate came a day after Trump campaigned in Georgia alongside the two senators. Loeffler blamed Democratic leaders for Congress' failure to pass a new round of assistance this fall.

“Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror,” Trump told rallygoers. The Jan. 5 Senate runoffs in Georgia will determine the balance of power in Washington after Biden takes office. Democrats need a Georgia sweep to force a 50-50 Senate and position Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote. Trump continued to reiterate his unsubstantiated claims of fraud, despite his own administration assessing the election to have been conducted without any major issues. Chants of “Fight for Trump” drowned out the two senators as they briefly spoke to the crowd.

“Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror,” Trump told rallygoers. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are trying to defeat Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively, and keep the Senate under Republican control. ___8:40 p.m.President Donald Trump suggested at a big gathering on behalf of Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue that he was reluctant to hold another campaign rally. “I shouldn’t do this for them,” Trump said “It costs too much money.”___8:15 p.m.President Donald Trump ripped Republican Gov. ___7:35 p.m.President Donald Trump kicked off his Saturday night rally in Georgia for Republican Sens.

“Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror,” Trump told rallygoers. The Jan. 5 Senate runoffs in Georgia will determine the balance of power in Washington after Biden takes office. Democrats need a Georgia sweep to force a 50-50 Senate and position Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote. Trump pulled out a piece of paper and read a list of his electoral achievements, including falsely asserting he won Georgia and the White House. Hours before the event, Trump asked Georgia Gov.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)ATLANTA – The Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs don't take place until Jan. 5. And President Donald Trump has complicated the contest by claiming baselessly that the November election in Georgia was beset by fraud. Already, $329 million in advertising has been spent or reserved in the state since Election Day, according to data from the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. While Biden’s campaign ran operations in Georgia until the Nov. 3 election, Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is in charge now. “People are very inspired by the Stacey Abrams magic,” said Michael Smith, a Los Angeles donor who has given to several groups raising money for the Georgia Democrats.

There have even been suggestions from some Trump allies that conservative voters should sit out the Jan. 5 Senate runoffs in protest, a notion Pence took head on. Talking to Democrats, Obama struck a different tone, celebrating Biden's Georgia win but warning it's not enough. Pence, as he did two weeks ago when campaigning with the Georgia senators, tried to strike a balance. But this time, Pence's message comes as Georgia completes yet another recount of presidential ballots and in the wake of Trump escalating his attacks on Georgia Republicans. As Pence arrived in the state, Georgia officials were in the final stages of a third count requested by Trump’s campaign.