Biden promises ‘a new day’
ATLANTA - Presidentelect Joe Biden urged Georgia voters on Monday to send two Democrats to Washington in Tuesday runoffs that will decide control of the U.S. Senate, while President Donald Trump prepared his own pitch to keep the chamber in Republican hands.
The Georgia races pit a pair of incumbent Republicans, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, against Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively.
“It’s a new year, and tomorrow can be a new day for Atlanta, for Georgia and for America,” Mr Biden said at his event in the state's capital city, while criticizing the outgoing president.
He said the Trump administration had "gotten off to a god-awful start" with the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. “The president spends more time whining and complaining than doing something about the problem,” he said.
He said the Democratic candidates, if elected, would ensure that $2,000 stimulus checks were delivered to Americans as the economy struggles during the coronavirus pandemic.
Long a solidly Republican state, Georgia surprised the nation in November by backing a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in almost three decades. That has raised liberals' hopes for Mr Warnock and Mr Ossoff, although they face an uphill battle and need twin victories to deny Republicans a Senate majority they could use to block Mr Biden's legislative agenda.