The Georgia Senate runoffs next week are set to take place, with Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock challenging the seats currently occupied by Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. In a new campaign ad for Ossoff, former president Barack Obama and John Legend are teaming up to get out the vote for the Democratic Senate candidate.
In a new campaign ad for Ossoff, the former president is seen thanking the state of Georgia, which has flipped to blue in favor of Joe Biden during the November elections even after multiple recounts and certifications. Biden is the first Democratic candidate that Georgia has voted for since 1992. Obama thanked the residents of the state for their willingness to incite change through voting for Biden. Legend is seen in the background, playing the piano while singing “Georgia on My Mind” while a montage featuring Georgia residents responding to significant events in 2020 plays.
“When the moment came to reject fear and division and send a message of change, Georgia stepped up,” said the former president. “Now America is counting on you again. You can send Jon Ossoff to the Senate to beat this virus and rebuild our economy. To make sure everybody can afford healthcare.”
Obama also cited the late Congressman and Civil Rights Leader John Lewis. “And to carry the torch John Lewis passed to us with a new voting rights act that secures equal justice for all.”
The Georgia Senate runoffs are especially important to the Democratic party as it would determine which political party would take control of the Senate. Should Ossoff and Warnock win the seats, then the Senate would be evenly split. However, as vice president-elect Kamala Harris is a Democrat, the Democratic party would immediately take control should they win against Perdue and Loeffler.
Meanwhile, Ossoff took another jab at his Republican opponents this week when he appeared on Fox News. When pressed by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy about his experience that would qualify him to win a Senate seat, Ossoff noted the corruption that is evident in the country’s politics while also citing his background as an investigative journalist. Ossoff then took the opportunity to address the viewers tuned into the network to put Perdue and Loeffler on blast for using their positions to further enrich themselves.