Georgians turnout in record number for U.S. Senate runoff
ATLANTA - The national implications of Georgia's U.S. Senate runoff election have Georgians heading to the polls in record numbers, knowing the outcome will determine the control of the Senate for years to come.
"As of today we've hit a record of numbers of voters participating in a runoff election," Fair Fight founder Stacey Abrams told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes. "The previous record was 2.1 million voters in 2008, we are now at 2.3 million voters. We are seeing incredible enthusiasm."
That enthusiasm has led to long lines at the polls, with reports of heavy turnout at several early voting locations Tuesday. Voter Robbie Graham Exley waited nearly two hours to cast her ballot in Cherokee County. "If you wait until Election Day sometimes it's very long, longer than this. This is really kind of out of the ordinary. Usually at this time of day it's very short."
With the election one week from today, last week's Insider Advantage poll shows the Senate candidates in both races running neck and neck.
Republican Senator David Perdue is polling at 49 percent to Democrat John Ossoff's 48 percent, with 3 percent of voters undecided.
Democratic challenger Reverend Raphael Warnock is polling at 49 percent to Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler's 47 percent , with 3 percent of voters undecided.
After flipping the state blue during the Presidential Election, Georgia Gang's Tharon Johnson says Democratic voters are returning to the polls in large number.
"If we just look at the voting, this is definitely strikingly similar to what we saw during the General Election where Democrats voted early, or turned in their absentee ballots early, or they voted by mail."
With the candidates in a dead heat, Republican strategist Brian Robinson says Senators Loeffler and Perdue must get supporters in Northwest Georgia's heavily Republican 14th Congressional district to turn out in large number.
"That is why the President is going there on Monday," said Robinson, "to generate and motivate that Republican vote in that part of the state that is so crucial to any Republican victory statewide."
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