Dems in Georgia runoffs lead by a nose as 'unprecedented' vote to decide Senate control sees record 3million early voters turn out - as Trump warns GOP to watch for 'rampant political corruption'

The four candidates vying for two Senate seats in Georgia are all only within 2 percentage points of each other with less than 48 hours until runoff day – and 3 million have already turned out to vote in the historic election.

President Donald Trump, however, warned Republicans that the Georgia elections would be unfair – just like he continues to lament that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with 'corruption' and 'cheating.'

'Republicans in Georgia must be careful of the political corruption in Fulton County, which is rampant,' Trump tweeted Sunday morning.

He also railed against Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who he claims didn't do enough to dispute election fraud claims to help him overturn Biden's popular vote win in the southern state.

'The Governor, @BrianKempGA, and his puppet Lt. Governor, @GeoffDuncanGA, have done less than nothing. They are a disgrace to the great people of Georgia!' Trump continued in his tweet.

'I spoke to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger yesterday about Fulton County and voter fraud in Georgia. He was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table' scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters', dead voters, and more. He has no clue!' Trump wrote in a second tweet. 

With just two days to go before the election that decides which party will control the Senate, both Republican incumbent Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are shown falling behind their Democratic challengers.

In a poll released Saturday by FiveThirtyEight, 47.5 per cent of Georgians say they will cast their ballot for Perdue compared to the 48.7 per cent who say they will vote for Democrat Jon Ossoff.

The same poll shows Loeffler 1.8 per cent behind Democrat Raphael Warnock by a margin of 47.3 per cent to 49.1 per cent.

A new poll shows Georgia Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler falling behind Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock by 1.8 per cent two days before the runoff election

The same poll shows incumbent Senator David Perdue trailing Democrat Jon Ossoff by 1.2 per cent in the election that will decide control of the Senate

President Donald Trump warned Sunday morning that Republicans need to be on the lookout for 'rampant' 'political corruption' in the runoff election

'He has no clue!': The president also said the Georgia Secretary of State is 'unable' to say if there is 'ballot destruction' or 'dead voters' casting ballots

A lot of focus has been put on the Georgia elections as it quickly became the state that will decide whether President-elect Joe Biden will be able to accomplish legislative goals or not.

Figures like former President Barack Obama and singer John Legend have even weighed in on the election, putting their support behind Ossoff.

The high-stakes campaign has obliterated spending records and spurred unprecedented turnout. Political groups have flooded the southern state with a tsunami of television advertising.

As of Sunday morning, more than 3 million Georgian's have already turned out to cast their ballot in the runoff elections after neither Loeffler, Perude, Warnock or Ossoff earned the 50 per cent needed on November 3 to avoid a runoff election.

This early voting figure far surpasses the previous record of 2.137 million votes cast in a runoff – and indicates that there are much more votes to come in the next few days.

Data from the Georgia Secretary of State's office indicates 3,001,017 voters cast ballots in the runoff election. Of those votes, 928,069 were sent by mail and 2,072,948 came from people voting early in person.

Both Biden and Trump will visit Georgia on Monday to campaign for their respective parties' candidates, underscoring the political stakes of the contests.

A record 3 million Georgians voted early, whether by mail or in-person, in the state's runoffs – shattering the previous total runoff turnout of 2.137 million votes cast

If just one Republican incumbent senator wins on Tuesday, the GOP would retain a narrow majority, effectively giving Senate Republicans veto power over Biden's most ambitious goals.

A Democratic sweep, however, would produce a 50-50 split, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris holding the tiebreaker that determines control.

Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker, is challenging Perdue, while the Rev. Warnock, senior pastor at the historic Black church Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, will take on Loeffler.

Biden's narrow Georgia victory in November - the first in a generation for a Democratic presidential candidate - completed the state's shift from a Republican stronghold to a fiercely competitive battleground.

The Jan. 5 head-to-head runoffs were triggered when no candidate reached 50% in either race in November. Polls suggest the contests are virtual dead heats.

Early voting has shattered runoff records, with 3 million ballots already cast.

'These are crazy numbers,' said Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political science professor tracking the Georgia vote.

Black turnout, critical to the Democrats' chances, has been robust; about one-third of the ballots have come from self-identified Black voters, up from around 27% in November.

'Democrats need to see an electorate like this in order to be able to win the election,' McDonald said. But he said it was impossible to predict the final outcome, cautioning that Republicans could turn out in higher numbers on Election Day.

Bobby Jenkins, the Democratic chair in rural Randolph County, said he felt good about his county's high early voting figures after an aggressive door-to-door push to get out the Black vote.

'It's going to hinge on how many Republicans turn out on Election Day,' he said.

The races have drawn a staggering $490 million in ad spending, according to the tracking firm AdImpact. Biden's political team has directed at least $18 million to the Democratic effort, according to a person familiar with the matter, including staff, data support and fundraising.

If close, the results could remain unclear for days as ballots are counted, and legal challenges could prolong the process. Biden's 12,000-vote victory took more than a week to confirm, and two recounts pushed the state's final certification into December.

Biden will rally alongside Ossoff and Warnock in Atlanta on Monday, while Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will campaign in Savannah on Sunday.

Trump, meanwhile, will visit heavily Republican Whitfield County in northwestern Georgia on Monday. But the president's insistence without evidence that his loss was due to fraud has some Republicans concerned that his most ardent supporters may stay home, convinced the vote is rigged.

Trump has demanded Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both Republicans, resign after they refused to substantiate his fraud claims.

Loeffler and Perdue have struck an awkward balance, supporting Trump's accusations even as they warn that they represent a 'firewall' against a Democratic takeover. They have portrayed their opponents as radical socialists.

Ossoff and Warnock have accused the Republicans of downplaying the pandemic while profiting off it by quietly selling stock. Investigations have not led to any charges, and both Perdue and Loeffler said they did not personally direct the sales.

Perdue has been absent from the campaign's closing days after being exposed to someone infected with the coronavirus. The Republicans have planned an election night party in Atlanta, while the Democrats have eschewed an in-person event due to the pandemic.