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ATLANTA (AP) – The second round of the US Senate in Georgia does not take place until January 5. But there are already clear winners.
On the state’s most influential television station, WSB of Atlanta, an ad that cost contestants $ 8,000 in July now costs around $ 18,000. In Savannah’s smallest market, advertising rates have gone up almost twenty times.
With Senate control and the scope of President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda hanging in the balance, millions in political spending are bordering on something close to an unlimited budget.
The competition will test the limits of how far money can go in a political climate in which both sides are rooted and few voters seem open to changing their minds. And President Donald Trump complicated the contest by baselessly claiming that the November election in Georgia was rife with fraud.
Also at stake: Could Georgia, a long-time Republican stronghold, be on its way to pivotal statehood, especially after Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1992 to carry the state.
Supporters on both sides are spending a lot to find out.
This puts Georgia’s two Republican Senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, in devilish contests that began after neither won more than 50% of the vote on election day. Perdue is seeking re-election against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, while Loeffler, who has been appointed to her seat, seeks to complete the term of retired Senator Johnny Isakson, who is running against Democrat Raphael Warnock.
If Republicans win a race, they will retain a slim majority and the chamber will act as a bulwark against Democratic ambitions. But if Democrats wear both, the balance will be 50-50 – with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivering the deciding votes. This will allow Biden to implement a more ambitious agenda, assuming he can keep his fellow Democrats on board.
“Everyone is aware of what is at stake in these two seats,” said Bradley Beychok, chairman of American Bridge, a leading outside Democratic group that has pledged to spend millions on rural voters. “There is a story that the Democrats have an uphill battle, but we just won Georgia and we are ready to go and fight.
As both sides invest resources in the state, some believe the cost of the shorthand competition could approach $ 500 million. Already, $ 329 million in advertising has been spent or reserved in the state since election day, according to data from advertising tracking company Kantar / CMAG.
Campaign finance disclosures made public Thursday suggest that outside Republican groups have an advantage when it comes to fundraising. The Republican National Senate Committee, which formed a joint fundraising operation with the two candidates and led by longtime Republican agent Karl Rove, said it has raised $ 75.5 million since Oct. 15. million over the same period.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, reported raising $ 71 million since Election Day, compared with $ 10.2 million raised by Senate PAC majority. his Democratic rival.
Candidates will not have to make public finances before December 24.
“Money isn’t everything, but fundraising is one of the first indicators of enthusiasm,” Steven Law, president of the Senate Leadership Fund, said in an appearance on Fox News Thursday. “Georgia’s Republican voters understand that it’s all at stake. Trump’s legacy, the future of freedom, the future of socialism, and right now they seem very motivated to vote.
Much of the money the group raised came from Republican megadonors, including $ 15 million from Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of private equity firm Blackstone; $ 10 million from Kenneth Griffin, CEO of Citadel hedge fund; and $ 5 million from Steve Wynn, the former head of Wynn Resorts who resigned after being accused of sexual misconduct, allegations he denies.
The main Senate-focused Democratic committees may have posted mediocre fundraising totals on Thursday, but party strategists say donors are funneling money to groups already established in the state instead.
Many of these groups are sticking to their strategy, tactics and end results after record-breaking Senate candidates in the fall resulted in the disappointment of candidates like Jaime Harrison of South Carolina, MJ Hegar of Texas and Steve. Montana Bullock. In some of these cases, the widely publicized success of the fundraising contributed to the perception that they were financed by interests outside the state.
While Biden’s campaign ran operations in Georgia until the Nov. 3 election, the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is now in charge. Their efforts include paid door-to-door approaches – a difference from the fall when the Biden campaign discouraged Democrats from soliciting in person.
Among the most prominent players on the left is the Fair Fight organization, which voting rights lawyer Stacey Abrams organized after her loss in Georgia’s 2018 governor’s race. The Abrams group reported Thursday that it raised $ 34.5 million between October 15 and November 23. It’s not the same mind-boggling numbers as some of the party’s major PACs, but it’s targeted on voter turnout. As an example, Fair Fight texted 2 million voters in the days following the run-off with information on how to get missing ballots for the second round. This is roughly 80% of the total number of votes Biden received in Georgia.
“People are very inspired by the magic of Stacey Abrams,” said Michael Smith, a donor from Los Angeles who has donated to several fundraising groups for Georgia Democrats. “Everyone in Los Angeles is fundraising for Georgia. It is a moral question.
Another group, called Really American PAC, has raised more than $ 593,000 and is hoping to put up 50 billboards in rural counties urging Trump supporters not to participate in the election, echoing a sentiment shared by some of the supporters. the most dejected of the president.
The group claims twelve billboards have risen so far, stating, “Perdue / Loeffler didn’t deliver for Trump, DO NOT deliver for them.” And at first glance, they look like an advertisement from a right-wing group.
In reality, however, Really American PAC was created by a progressive Chicago activist named Justin Horwitz, who says he has a “common interest” with the President’s supporters in “defeating Washington insiders Perdue, Loeffler & McConnell, who are trying to destroy Trump.
This goes to the center of a concern for Republicans.
Trump, who will host a rally in the state on Saturday, refused to concede the election and has repeatedly attacked Georgia’s Republican governor and secretary of state while falsely claiming Biden’s victory was the product of ‘electoral fraud.
This forces Loeffler and Perdue into a delicate dance of having to both ignite key Trump supporters who may be wary of the election outcome, without alienating suburban moderates, as well as anti-Trump Republicans, who have switched to Biden.
Both candidates are expected to attend Trump’s rally.
“I think it’s very risky. If I’m Loeffler or Perdue, I wouldn’t want him to come, ”said Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor who has already donated more than $ 190,000 to Trump’s election efforts. “With Donald Trump’s unruly nature, there could be one, two or three sentences that completely derail and change the direction of the campaign.”
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Slodysko reported from Washington.
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