LET’S MOVE PAST WHETHER TRUMP OR BIDEN CARRIES GEORGIA IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
THE PEACH STATE IS ABOUT TO
BECOME THE CENTER OF THE
POLITICAL UNIVERSE IN JANUARY
2021 Y WELL, THERE MAY VERY
WELL BE TO
RUNOFF ELECTIONS. REPUBLICAN
SENATOR KELLY LEFFLER CAME IN
SECOND BEHIND DEMOCRAT RAPHAEL
WARNOCK IN THE FIRST RACE, A
SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL THE
SEAT OF RETIRED SENATOR JOHNNY
ISAACSON UNTIL 2022. NEITHER
CANDIDATE CAME CLOSE TO 50%
WILL FACE OFF IN JANUARY.
AND THE OTHER SENATE RACE
INCOMING REPUBLICAN DAVID
PERDUE FIRST APPEARED TO HAVE
AVOIDED A RUNOFF AGAINST
DEMOCRAT JON OSSOFF
HIS VOTE SHARE HOVERED SLIGHTLY
ABOVE 50% FOR THE FIRST 36
HOURS AFTER POLLS CLOSED.
BUT AS THE URBAN CORE AROUND
ATLANTA BEGAN REPORTING ITS
VOTE IN LARGER NUMBERS
YESTERDAY THAT SHARE DEPT
MAKING A RUN OFF
MORE LIKELY AND DEPENDING ON
THE OUTCOME OF THOSE ELECTIONS
AND ASSUMING NOTHING ELSE
CHANGES. THE OUTCOME OF THOSE
RUNOFFS COULD DECIDE THE
PROVERBIAL BALANCE OF POWER ON
CAPITOL HILL. SO
LET ME BRING FORMER
JACKSONVILLE CHIEF OF STAFF AND
A POLITICAL STRATEGIST HIMSELF
FIRSTHAND IN THE FALL, GOOD
MORNING CHRIS. GOOD MORNING.
BRUCE, SO USUALLY RUNOFF
ELECTIONS DON’T GET A LOT OF
ATTENTION DON’T DRAW A LOT OF
PEOPLE TO THE POLLS.
THIS ONE WILL DROP BOTH OF
THOSE THINGS I RIGHT IN
ASSUMING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
>> WELL YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT. BRUCE AND FOR ANYONE
WHO’S IN THE CHANNEL FOR
VIEWING AREA WHO THOUGHT THEY
HAD SEEN THEIR LAST POLITICAL
ADVERTISEMENTS AS OF
NOVEMBER, 3RD. I THINK AGAIN
BECAUSE OVER THE NEXT 2 MONTHS
BECAUSE THIS IS PART OF THE
SOUTH GEORGIA MEDIA THERE WILL
BE HEAVY INVESTMENT IN
TELEVISION. ANOTHER
CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENTS BECAUSE
OF SO MUCH THAT’S AT STAKE IN
THE SENATE ELECTIONS
AND I KNOW WE’RE MOVING PAST
THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, BUT I DO
THINK IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT
IS WJXT IS REPORTING THIS
MORNING OF COURSE THAT BIDEN
HAS TAKEN THE LEAD IN GEORGIA.
THAT IS PLACES EVEN MORE IF
THIS IS ON THESE 2 SENATE
RUNOFF THAT WILL OCCUR ON
JANUARY
THE 5TH.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: TWO-PART
QUESTION HERE IS THIS GOING TO
BE ANY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
SOME FORM AND HOW HIGH ARE THE
STAKES HERE.
>> WELL THINK OF IT AS A
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN A
SINGLE STATE BECAUSE THAT’S
WHAT WILL HAPPEN. OVER THE
COURSE OF THE NEXT 2 MONTHS
OBVIOUSLY RESOURCES NATIONALLY
FOR
THE LAST. YEAR HAVE BEEN
FOCUSED ON THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
WE’RE ON CERTAIN KIND OF
FOCUS STATES. WELL NOW ALL OF
THAT FOCUS TURNS TO A SINGLE
STATE IN THE PEACH STATE
GEORGIA. SO YOU’RE GOING TO SEE
A LOT OF NATIONAL IF THIS IS ON
GEORGIA BY BOTH PARTIES.
AND OF COURSE THE STAKES ARE
VERY HIGH BRUCE IN THE SENSE
THAT IF DEMOCRATS WERE TO WIN
BOTH OF THESE GEORGIA SENATE
SEAT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU KNOW
BIDEN IS PRESIDENT AND VICE
PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS.
PRESIDES OVER THE SENATE
THAT WOULD GIVE DEMOCRATS A
WORKING MAJORITY IN THE SENATE
WHICH WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE A VERY
BIG DEAL PRESIDENT BIDEN’S ABILITY TO GOVERN SO THE STAKES ARE EXTREMELY HIGH FOR
BOTH PARTIES. SO BOTH PARTIES
AND OTHER NATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS WILL MAKE MAJOR
INVESTMENTS AND HAVE A LOT OF
FOCUS ON THE STATE OF GEORGIA
BETWEEN NOW AND
JANUARY 5TH. SO LET’S SEE HOW
THE 2 PARTIES MIGHT APPROACH IT
IN GEORGIA. >>BRUCE HAMILTON: IF BIDEN WINS TO THE DEMS GO INTO THIS
TOTALLY ENERGIZED AND THE GOP
HAS LONG TAKEN GEORGIA’S
CONSERVATIVE BENT FOR GRANTED,
WOULD THIS GIVE THEM A CHANCE
TO REASSERT THAT IDEOLOGICAL
LEAD.
>> WELL I THINK BOTH PARTIES
ARE GOING TO BE VERY ENERGIZED
GOING INTO THESE GEORGIA
RUNOFFS FOR A VARIETY OF
DIFFERENT FOR DEMOCRATS
OBVIOUSLY THE PROSPECT OF BEING
ABLE TO CONTROL THE SENATE
AND HELP TO ADVANCE WHAT WOULD
BE PRESIDENT BIDEN’S
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA IS GOING TO
BE A BIG FOR SENATOR BUT FOR
REPUBLICANS AROUND THE COUNTRY
OBVIOUSLY THEY WANT TO MAINTAIN
THEIR SENATE MAJORITY BUT NO
ALSO WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN
GEORGIA STATE WHERE
TRADITIONALLY. REPUBLICANS HAVE
BEEN SUCCESSFUL STATEWIDE SO
I THINK THERE’S GOING TO BE ANY
LACK OF ENERGY ON THE PART OF
EITHER POLITICAL PARTY IS PART
OF THE ROBBERS.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: SO SINCE WE
DON’T KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YET.
CAN YOU EVEN HANDICAPPED A
RUNOFF TO THIS POINT.
>> WELL IT’S VERY HARD TO SAY
BRUCE, I MEAN, TRADITIONALLY
COURSE GEORGIA IS ONE OF THE
UNIQUE STATES IN THE COUNTRY
THAT DOES HAVE A RUNOFF IF
NOBODY RECEIVES 50% PLUS ONE OF
THE VOTE. ON ELECTION DAY
ITSELF SO IN THE PAST WHEN
THESE RUNOFFS HAVE OCCURRED IN
RECENT YEARS. THEY HAVE
TENDED TO. FAVOR REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATES JUST BECAUSE THERE
WAS STRONGER TURNOUT AMONG
REPUBLICAN VOTERS BUT OBVIOUSLY
THE RESULTS IN GEORGIA THIS
NOVEMBER. THE FACT THAT JOE
BIDEN HAS NOW TAKEN A LEAVE
LOOKS LIKE HE MIGHT WIN THE
STATE THAT OBVIOUSLY REPRESENTS
A CHANGE THE DYNAMIC.
SO AGAIN I THINK THEY’LL BE
HEAVY TURNOUT FROM
BOTH PARTIES NATIONAL ATTENTION
ON GEORGIA FOR