Donald Trump Jr. will hold his first in-person events of the Georgia Senate runoffs this week for Sen. David Perdue, adding himself to the long list of boldface political names to descend on the Peach State for the critical Jan. 5 races.
Trump Jr. will hold a “Defend the Majority” rally with Perdue in Irwin County on Friday and will also campaign with the incumbent on Saturday. It is unclear if there are plans for Trump Jr. to campaign with Georgia’s other incumbent, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, but he has already appeared in television and radio ads backing both her and Perdue.
The visit from President Trump’s son, who is rumored to have his own future political ambitions, will happen after Vice President Mike Pence stumps for Perdue and Loeffler on Thursday.
Donald Trump Jr., son of President Donald Trump, speaks onstage during the Conservative Political Action Conference 2020 (CPAC) hosted by the American Conservative Union on Feb. 28, 2020, in National Harbor, Md. Trump Jr. will campaign this week with Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
OUTSIDE GROUPS CONVERGE ON GEORGIA WITH BUS TOURS, ON-THE-GROUND VOLUNTEERS WITH SENATE ON THE LINE
“Few have been stronger advocates for me and Kelly Loeffler than Donald Trump Jr. has — it will be fantastic to have him down in Georgia to campaign with us this week,” Perdue said in a statement. “Donald understands how critical this election is to defending the great work President Trump achieved these last four years and knows that every Georgian needs to get back out and vote before January 5. He has been a tremendous asset in our fight to hold the line and we look forward to seeing him on the trail.”
The Pence and Trump Jr. events are effectively the Trump team’s answer to President-elect Joe Biden’s Tuesday rally in Georgia on behalf of Democrat challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Biden, even before his inauguration, is staking his political capital — at least partially — on a win for the Democrats in Georgia, which could make it much easier to advance his agenda through Congress.
“It would make a great deal of a difference. If we win both these races, it’s 50-50 and the vice president breaks tie votes,” Biden told WSB-TV on Tuesday. “We would be in a position where we have a much better chance of making sure we get the COVID initiative I put forward.”
President-elect Joe Biden, center, acknowledges supporters at the end of a drive-in rally for Georgia Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate Raphael Warnock, left, and Jon Ossoff, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
BIDEN CAMPAIGNS IN GEORGIA RUNOFFS, HOPING FOR A DEMOCRAT-CONTROLLED SENATE
Biden in his Tuesday rally emphasized Perdue’s and Loeffler’s support for a Texas lawsuit that aimed to toss the presidential election results in Georgia and three other states and emphasized his plans for handling the coronavirus crisis.
Trump, Trump Jr. and Pence, meanwhile, have all been rumored in some form or another to be considering a 2024 presidential run. So there is something at stake for the three of them as well.
A massive amount of attention and money is pouring into Georgia with the Senate majority on the line in the two Jan. 5 races. Others who have weighed in on the Georgia races either in person or virtually include former President Barack Obama, Trump himself, a bevy of U.S. senators and representatives, former Democratic presidential candidates and even singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood.
“It really feels like we’re at the center of the political universe and will be until Jan. 5,” veteran Atlanta journalist Maria Saporta told Fox News. Saporta is in charge of the Atlanta Press Club’s debate committee, which ran the debate between Loeffler and Warnock earlier this month.
It really feels like we’re at the center of the political universe and will be until Jan. 5
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If Republicans win even one of the races then they will have at least a 51-49 majority in the new Senate and be able to stand in the way of many of Biden’s priorities. But if Democrats sweep both of the Georgia races then the party will have a de facto majority thanks to the fact that Harris will be able to break ties on party-line votes.
According to AdImpact, a top national ad tracking firm formerly known as Advertising Analytics, the amount of spending in the Georgia Senate race topped $400 million last week. It’s widely expected to crest $500 million by the time voters head to the polls.
Meanwhile, a wide variety of outside groups are also converging on Georgia with bus tours, door-knocking and other tactics aimed at juicing turnout for their preferred candidates.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Allie Raffa contributed to his report.