Control of the Senate rests on these men winning their races.
Control of the Senate rests on these men winning their races. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

While the dust has cleared on the race for the White House and House of Representatives, the Senate—and which party has control over it—is still very much in the air. With Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris serving as the Senate tiebreaker, Democrats need just two seats to guide the direction of the Senate.

The Democratic Party’s hopes lie with two Democrats in Georgia, where both Senate races will go to a runoff on January 5. No candidate in either race has received more than 50% of the November 3 vote, a requirement of Georgia state law, forcing both to runoffs.

Republican incumbent and hardcore Trumper Sen. Kelly Loeffler faces off against Democrat challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock. Meanwhile, the other incumbent (also Republican, also a Trump ally) Sen. David Perdue will try to head off Democrat Jon Ossoff. As we noted on Friday, the flipped-blue Georgia will now become the “center of the political universe” for the next couple of months.

Here’s how those two races are shaping up so far:

  • Loeffler and Perdue are calling on Georgia’s Secretary of State to resign from his job: Following the lead of their big baby president, the GOP incumbents released a joint statement today asking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (who is also a Republican, I might add) to resign. They cite the “failures” in the state’s election system without providing evidence. Raffensperger has disputed Loeffler and Perdue’s claims, calling Georgia’s election a “resounding success.” “The voters of Georgia hired me, and the voters will be the one to fire me,” he wrote in his response.

  • Stacey Abrams raised $3.6 million in two days for the cause: Her organization Fair Fight Action, which fights voter suppression, announced their achievement yesterday. Abrams’ organizing work was crucial in handing Biden a victory in the not-so-ruby-red South. Her and other organizers’ continued efforts to get Georgians of all races registered will prove key to a double Democratic win in the state. There’s also no doubt in my mind that spending in this already expensive race will go through the roof.
  • Ossoff has challenged Perdue to three debates before the runoff election: “Georgians deserve to hear their candidates for U.S. Senate debate these issues publicly,” Ossoff wrote in a letter to his opponent. “I am asking you to join me in committing to three live, in-person debates sponsored by media organizations throughout our great state. Georgians deserve nothing less.” Last month, Perdue refused to attend the final pre-election Day debate with Ossoff after a particularly contentious debate involved accusations of corruption, communism, and insider trading flying between the two. Perdue has yet to respond to Ossoff’s challenge, but if he agrees, it’s likely to get nasty once again.
  • Andrew Yang and his entire family are moving to Georgia: You heard it folks, the Yang Gang is packing up their bags and planting themselves in the Peach State. He and his family intend to get Joe a Democratic Senate as a (very late) Christmas gift.

    More to come.

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    Jas Keimig is a former staff writer at The Stranger, where they covered visual art, film, stickers, and culture.