The two Georgia Senate seats aren't up for a popular vote, but if they were, a new poll says, America wants the GOP in control. The survey, from Harvard CAPS-Harris, is an interesting barometer of what voters think of the two parties heading into January 5's run-off. Fifty-six percent of the country wants the Senate in Republican hands -- compared to just 44 percent who think the Democrats should control both chambers.
"This is a strong headwind for Democrats in the special election," warns Harvard CAPS-Harris polling director Mark Penn. Although the presidential outcome could certainly "muddy the waters," he says, Americans seem spooked by the prospect of radical liberals in charge of Congress.
That's no surprise, considering what several Democrats have said they'd do: pack the Supreme Court, unseat lower court judges, abolish the filibuster, and basically declare an all-out war on Senate procedure and the Constitution. Republicans have been hammering home the reality of a Democratic Senate for days. On "Hannity" Monday night, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) painted a terrifying picture of the committee leadership.
"If Democrats take over the Senate and we lose both Georgia seats, Bernie Sanders will be Chairman of the Budget Committee in the United States Senate. An avowed socialist would be writing the nation's budget in the Senate. If we keep control of the Senate, by winning both seats in Georgia, I'm going to be the Budget Chairman. I may not be your cup of tea out there, but let me tell you this, I'm... a lot better than Bernie Sanders when it comes to your money."
In the Judiciary Committee, where Graham helped preside over a record-setting term of confirmations for President Trump, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is already vying for the gavel. With Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) stepping down as the ranking member, Durbin says it's time to "roll up our sleeves and get to work on undoing the damage of the last four years..." Of course, Durbin is most famous in conservative circles for his religious litmus tests, which he used to try to disqualify believers like Amy Coney Barrett from the bench. Americans can expect a return of that hostility if Democrats squeak out a win.
The stakes, both sides know, have never been higher. For proof of that, Democrats, who've been hesitant to canvass neighborhoods during the virus, are suddenly out in full force. Desperate to knock off both Senators Kelly Loeffler (R) and David Perdue (R), they put on masks and went back to door-knocking. FRC Action is also ramping up for the big day with pastor briefings, community impact trainings, and other grassroots activities. Republicans, who already had a ground game in place for the general election, are rallying the troops with the same mantra: turnout.
Of course, one of the biggest weapons conservatives have are the candidates' voting records and policy positions, which are helping to pull back the curtain on the Democrats' extremism. Senator Perdue's challenger, Jon Ossoff, supports a laundry list of radicalism, including: taxpayer-funded abortion, judicial activism, biological boys in girls' sports, transgender bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms, abortion up until the moment of birth, and government punishment for business owners with biblical beliefs.
Senator Loeffler's opponent, Raphael Warnock, continues to be fundraising gold for the Republicans. From telling our troops they "can't serve God and the military" to his outspoken criticism of Israel and public fawning over Fidel Castro, the Democrat's PR team has its hands full. Just explaining Warnock's support of Jeremiah Wright is a tall order, the Washington Examiner's editors point out. "Warnock actively embraced the 'God damn America' line of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, going on television to defend Wright in 2008 at the very moment when then-Sen. Barack Obama was wisely disowning him."
Georgians couldn't have a starker contrast in Senator Loeffler, who earned a perfect 100 percent on FRC Action's vote scorecard and continues to stand on her unapologetically pro-life, pro-America, and pro-freedom vision for America. The choice, her colleague Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said, is clear. "Do we want the government to take control of our lives, to raise our taxes, and to fundamentally change our country? Or do we want to maintain our individual rights and liberty, keep more of our hard-earned dollars, and get Washington off our backs?"
