Georgia: Where The Race Stands
The winner of the presidential race has not yet been determined in Georgia, which remains one of the most closely watched battleground states of the entire 2020 campaign. Several counties continue to count ballots in what could very well help determine the fate of not just the presidency, but also the balance of power in the Senate and the final composition of the House of Representatives. Here is where the state currently stands.
The Presidential Race
As of midday Wednesday, President Trump was leading former Vice President Joe Biden in Georgia by approximately 80,000 votes, according to counts by the Associated Press.
Approximately 200,000 ballots remain uncounted in the state, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during a press conference late Wednesday morning, adding that he believes votes will be counted by later today.
He added that a sizable portion of uncounted ballots are in Fulton County and Dekalb County, two areas that make up parts of the Atlanta metro area, which is overwhelmingly siding with Biden. The Secretary of State said there are over 50,000 uncounted early and absentee ballots in Dekalb county. Officials in Fulton County said they have approximately 67,000 ballots left to scan and adjudicate, and hope to finish by later tonight.
Leading up to the election, NPR classified Georgia as a toss-up race, given that Biden held a slim polling lead in the state and the state's tradition of voting Republican. As the race continues to tighten, winning Georgia's 16 electoral votes would be a critical victory for either candidate.
With the returns as close as they currently are, it's important to note that Georgia does not have an automatic recount trigger margin. Candidates are permitted to request a recount, funded by the state, if the margin of victory is less than half a percentage point.
The U.S. Senate
No winner has been declared in either of Georgia's two Senate races. One race is too close to call, while the other, a special election contest, is advancing to a January runoff.
In the special election race, Democrat Raphael Warnock held a slight lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler, but neither candidate was able to secure the needed 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff election. By law, if no candidate gets over half the vote, the top two candidates advance to a run-off.
In the second Senate race, Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue is ahead of his challenger, Democrat Jon Ossoff, by about 160,000 votes. But again, ballots continue to be counted in the metro-Atlanta area, which is leaning towards Ossoff.
The House of Representatives
Eyes are also on Georgia's 7th Congressional District, where Democratic candidate Carolyn Bourdeaux currently leads Republican Rich McCormick. The district is currently controlled by Republican Rep. Rob Woodall, who defeated Bourdeaux in 2018 by just over 400 votes. [Copyright 2020 NPR]
