Kelly Loeffler and Raphael Warnock to face off in Georgia Senate debate ahead of second round election

The Senate races have at times been overshadowed by the results of the presidential election in Georgia, where President-elect Joe Biden turned the state blue for the first time in 28 years. Trump has blamelessly alleged electoral fraud in the state and attacked officials across the state, including Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

On Saturday night, Trump hesitated over Loeffler and Perdue at a rally in Valdosta, Ga., But again falsely claimed he won the state and warned without evidence that the January second round could be rigged. CNN previously reported that Republicans feared Trump could lower the turnout among his base if he continued to denounce Georgia’s electoral system. At one point Trump greeted Loeffler and Perdue on stage for very brief remarks at the rally, but the two Senators were immediately interrupted by chants of “Stop the Steal” and “Fight for Trump.”

The Press Club announced its intention to proceed to the previous event with an empty podium to represent Perdue.

“In a year when the election of Georgia’s two senators will determine control of the US Senate, it is vital that voters have this opportunity to hear from all candidates,” said Atlanta Press Club president Marylynn Ryan in a statement. “These debates are an important public service that the Atlanta Press Club is proud to provide to Georgians.”

WAGA-TV / Fox5 Anchor Russ Spencer will act as moderator, working alongside a list of panelists.

Loeffler has sparked an attack on Warnock, trying to portray his Democratic opponent and the 15-year-old leader of the historic church of Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta as an anti-police Marxist who will destroy America.

Warnock, in turn, said Loeffler wanted to divide Georgia and deflect attention from his opposition to the Affordable Care Act and the health insurance it provides to millions of people amid a pandemic.

At the age of 35, Warnock was chosen in 2005 to lead Ebenezer Baptist Church, and has since tackled issues in Georgia like the overhaul of the criminal justice code and the expansion of voter registration and Medicaid.

Loeffler described the work ethic she learned on the family farm in Illinois, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college and work for the Intercontinental Exchange, the commodity exchange company of basic and financial.

She then married Jeffrey Sprecher, the president of the New York Stock Exchange and bought a condominium in Atlanta Dream from the WNBA. At the end of 2019, Republican Governor Brian Kemp appointed Loeffler to fill the seat left by outgoing Senator Johnny Isakson.