Will the US Senate Flip to the Democrats Thanks to Trump?

Ahead of the runoff election on the 5th of next month, President Trump becomes a key issue
Division within the Republican Party, opposition to the stimulus package cause election turmoil
Georgia, a traditionally Republican stronghold, shows an extremely close race unfolding

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has emerged as a variable in the Georgia Senate runoff election that will determine the majority party in the U.S. Senate. Analysts suggest that President Trump could be a negative factor for the Republican Party in this closely contested election.

On the 28th (local time), Bloomberg reported that President Trump has re-entered the election campaign ahead of the Georgia Senate runoff election day. Earlier, President Trump announced that he would visit Georgia on the 4th of next month, the day before the runoff election, to hold a campaign rally.

Following the election results on the 3rd of last month, the U.S. Senate was confirmed to have 50 seats for the Republicans, 46 seats for the Democrats, and 2 seats for Democratic-leaning independents. In that election, two Senate seats were contested in Georgia, but since no candidate received a majority, a runoff election will be held on the 5th of next month. The Republican Party can become the majority party if it wins just one of these seats. Conversely, if the Democrats win both seats, the Senate will be tied 50:50. In the event of a tie in Senate votes, the Vice President, as the President of the Senate, can cast the deciding vote, which would make the Democrats, who won the presidential election, the majority party.

On the 21st (local time), Ivanka Trump, Senior Advisor to the White House (right), visited the state of Georgia and greeted Senator Kelly Loeffler (left) by extending her fist. Trump visited this place to support the runoff election for the Georgia Senate seat scheduled for the 5th of next month. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

For the Democrats, having the Senate majority is crucial for President-elect Joe Biden’s stable governance. Similarly, for the Republicans, maintaining the Senate majority is essential for checks and balances, making the Georgia runoff election a matter of life and death. Consequently, both the Republican and Democratic parties are pouring astronomical amounts of political donations into the runoff election.

Bloomberg cited two main reasons why President Trump could be a negative factor in the Georgia runoff election. First, although President Trump signed the stimulus bill, he caused confusion by previously hinting at a veto. Due to President Trump’s obstinacy, disaster relief payments were delayed, and this week federal unemployment benefits have also been reduced, causing harm.

Moreover, President Trump’s conflict with Georgia Republican officials over allegations of election fraud is another negative factor. In last month’s election, President Trump lost Georgia by a margin of 12,670 votes. Regarding responsibility for the election defeat, President Trump raised suspicions of election fraud, but Georgia’s governor and others in charge of the election dismissed the possibility of fraud. Because of this, President Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the Georgia governor and others. The controversy over election fraud has caused division within the Georgia Republican Party.

Incumbent Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are desperately trying to win the votes of President Trump’s supporters. However, there are concerns that this strategy could cause the Republican Party to lose support among moderate voters.

According to current polls, the Republican and Democratic candidates are neck and neck. However, Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster, pointed out that Democrat Raphael Warnock has caught up with Senator Loeffler, and Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff has been leading Senator Perdue in support since last week. He noted, "Georgia was originally a region where the Republican candidate led by 4 percentage points, but this effect has disappeared because of the President."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.