Trump tells Georgia Republicans NOT to boycott the runoffs but to 'get out and help' David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler as the GOP battles to keep its Senate 'firewall' against Democrat agenda
Donald Trump has told Georgia not to boycott the runoffs but to 'get out and help' David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler or the GOP will lose control of the Senate to 'some very sick people'.
The president tweeted his support of the two Republican candidates Friday morning calling them 'GREAT people' and saying he will make a trip to the state this weekend, after his election fraud claims have led some of his own supporters to consider abstaining from voting in January.
His public backing of Loeffler and Perdue comes as the pair ramped up their runoff campaigns this week, warning voters the Senate seats are a GOP 'firewall' and 'the last defense' against the Biden administration's political agenda.
The two Georgia Senate seats are still up for grabs after candidates on neither side of the political line managed to secure the 50 percent threshold to secure a seat on November 3.
This means that on January 5, Perdue will go head-to-head with Democrat opponent Jon Ossoff and Loeffler with Democrat Raphael Warnock.
The outcome will ultimately decide which party takes control of the Senate. If the two Democrats win, the party will hold a 50-50 split meaning Vice President-elect Kamala Harris then has the deciding vote on matters.
If one or both of the Republicans win they will take control, likely making it difficult for the Biden administration to pass policies through the Senate.
Donald Trump has told Georgia not to boycott the January runoffs but to 'get out and help' David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler or the GOP will lose control of the Senate to 'some very sick people'
In what is shaping up to be a close-run race, Trump is encouraging his fans to ignore the conspiracy theories about Loeffler and Perdue and throw their support behind the candidates amid concerns many voters won't turn out in January.
'No, the 2020 Election was a total scam, we won by a lot (and will hopefully turn over the fraudulent result), but we must get out and help David and Kelly, two GREAT people,' he wrote on Twitter.
'Otherwise we are playing right into the hands of some very sick people. I will be in Georgia on Saturday!'
Trump shared a link to a Newsmax article reporting that some Republicans are planning to boycott the Senate runoffs because of theories that the two GOP candidates may be complicit in Georgia's so-called 'election fraud' and are not pro-Trump enough.
Trump also said Thursday he planned to visit the state to get behind the two candidates.
'I spoke with the two great senators today. I'll probably be going on Saturday,' he said during his question-and-answer session with reporters on Thanksgiving.
Loeffler and Perdue have been channeling big efforts and money into the race warning Republican voters that they must turn out to vote to ensure the party doesn't lose control of the Senate.
Loeffler warned this week that the seats are a 'firewall' against the Biden administration setting the political agenda for the next four years.
'Yep. Georgia is the firewall - and we must save our country,' she tweeted Tuesday.
'Chip in $5, $10, or whatever you can afford: https://bit.ly/SaveOurMajority,' she added, alongside a retweet of a post claiming that if Democrats secure the majority they will 'pack Supreme Court, slash military spending, defund the police, “evolve” Medicare, send taxes soaring, confirm hard-left judges and nominees, attack Second Amendment rights.'
The two Georgia Senate seats are still up for grabs. This means that on January 5, David Perdue will go head-to-head with Democrat opponent Jon Ossoff and Kelly Loeffler with Democrat Raphael Warnock
The outcome of the January runoffs will ultimately decide who takes control of the Senate. Pictured Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff
Democrat Senator Joe Manchin said this month he would not support expanding the Supreme Court, meaning even if the two Georgia seats go to the party, this would likely be off the table.
Perdue also sought to ramp up support for his campaign this week telling voters securing the seats is a 'last line of defense' for the party.
'We are the last line of defense,' Perdue told Fox & Friends Tuesday.
'These two seats here will determine the majority in the Senate.
'Because of that, we're going to deny Senator Schumer that majority, protect everything that President Trump has accomplished in the last four years, and make sure that the people of Georgia know that.'
Several prominent Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Todd Young, the departing chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have also urged the GOP to get behind Perdue and Loeffler as the battle for the Senate ramps up, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
McConnell has three virtual events in the pipeline for next week to drum up support, Vice President Mike Pence also has campaign plans for Loeffler and Perdue and several senators are traveling to Georgia to help sway voters, the Journal reported.
Loeffler warned this week that the seats are a 'firewall' against the Biden administration setting the political agenda for the next four years
Perdue also sought to ramp up support for his campaign this week telling voters securing the seats is a 'last line of defense'
Spending on the GOP campaigns is expected to hit $300 million, making it one of the most expensive races in history.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is drumming up $10 million of this and plans to send teams to knock on one million voter's doors in the lead-up to the runoffs, the Journal reported.
The GOP push comes as Trump-supporting conspiracy theorists have threatened to derail the candidates' chances to claim the seats.
Several theorists have taken to Twitter and the online platform Parler accusing the two GOP candidates of being anti-Trump and even responsible for widespread election fraud in the state - election fraud that the president has repeatedly claimed occurred while providing no evidence.
Hashtags such as #CrookedPerdue and #CrookedKelly have spread online with some hardline Trump fans branding the duo 'liberal DemoRats,' according to Politico.
Trump supporters are planning to boycott the runoffs due to conspiracy theories that Perdue and Loeffler may be complicit in Georgia's so-called 'election fraud' and are not pro-Trump enough. Sidney Powell pushed an unfounded claim that Loeffler conspired to suppress votes for her GOP opponent in the November 3 race
The theories have been pushed by people close to Trump's own election fraud team, with attorneys Sidney Powell and Lin Wood both hitting out at Loeffler online.
Powell, Michael Flynn's attorney who has been booted out of Trump's legal team after spouting wild conspiracy theories, pushed an unfounded claim that Loeffler conspired with voting technology company, Dominion Voting Systems, to suppress votes for her GOP opponent in the November 3 race.
Wood, who filed a lawsuit against Georgia's election results, also hit out at both Loeffler and Perdue on Twitter on Wednesday.
'Some leaders in GA & National GOP complain I am hurting chances of @KLoeffler & @sendavidperdue to win runoff & save Senate control,' he wrote.
'They are ones hurting those chances by failing to publicly demand investigation of fraud & special session of legislature. Look in mirror.'
He urged his social media followers to 'threaten to withhold your votes & money' for the runoffs unless the two candidates demand investigations into the election.
The theories and attacks on the two candidates have led several Trump supporters to vow to boycott the run-off despite potentially damaging GOP chances of winning the January races.
So far, both the Democrats and Republicans have thrown almost $100 million into television and radio advertising in the runoffs, according to data from Kantar/CMAG.