Georgia voters turned out in droves on the first day of voting in the crucial U.S. Senate run-off elections and President-elect Joe Biden traveled to Atlanta on Tuesday to juice Democratic enthusiasm.
More than 168,000 people cast ballots on the first day of early voting in the double-barreled election, about 25% more than went to the polls on the first voting day of the general election.
The big numbers suggest that the runoffs may attract a similar potent turnout as the Nov. 3 vote in which Biden upset President Trump to flip the traditionally red state.
Democrats see that as a hopeful sign for Senate challengers Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who are seeking to oust Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) in the unusual twin runoffs set for Jan. 5.
© Ben GrayJanae Brown waves a sign during a rally for Democratic Georgia Senate challengers the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Atlanta on the first day of early voting for the senate runoff Monday, Dec. 14.
Janae Brown waves a sign during a rally for Democratic Georgia Senate challengers the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Atlanta on the first day of early voting for the senate runoff Monday, Dec. 14. (Ben Gray/)
Biden will appear at a drive-in rally with the two Democrats along with Stacey Abrams, the charismatic ex-gubernatorial candidate who is credited as the architect of the blue wave in the Peach State.
"The president-elect will echo his message of unity and a battle for the soul of the nation," a Biden transition official said.
Along with the early in-person voting, at least 260,000 Georgia voters have already cast ballots by mail.
Insiders expect about 4 million people to cast ballots in the runoff, a bit lower than the 5 million who voted in the presidential election.
Anemic turnout in run-off votes traditionally benefits Republicans, whose staunch supporters tend to be more reliable voters.
Georgia Democratic chair Nikema Williams, a congresswoman-elect from Atlanta, pushed back on the idea that Ossoff and Warnock need Biden to have a path to victory. She framed the contests more about the distinctions between a Democratic and Republican Senate.
"I welcome my president-elect to Georgia," Williams said, but "it's not about appealing to one segment of voters." Instead, she argued, the runoffs and Biden's visit are about "appealing to all Georgians who want to see something different" on the pandemic response.