Georgia Senate Race Revisited: David Perdue

Back in July, I told you about the Senate race in Georgia that pits incumbent David Perdue, a major business leader before he became a Senator, and Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old filmmaker best known for losing a prior congressional race. I noted the contrast between Perdue's strong record of support for Israel and opposition to the Iran deal with Ossoff's support from J Street. 

Since then, the race has become one of the most closely fought and heated of the contests that will determine the Senate's future. How closely fought? In the RealClearPolitics poll average, Perdue leads by a small amount, Perdue 45.5 percent to Ossoff 42.2 percent. How heated? Ossoff has indignantly accused Purdue of antisemitism.

In case you missed it: In late July, Democrats cried foul over an altered image in a campaign advertisement - an ad that David Perdue immediately disavowed once he became aware of it. Senator Perdue also cut ties with the vendor that produced the ad in question. 

Fortunately for Perdue, he was able to draw on support from long-time friends in Georgia's Jewish community. They came forward to vouch for the sincerity of his outreach to our community and credit him for his leadership as a supporter of Israel, a critic of the Obama Iran deal, and an opponent of BDS. 

One thing to remember: A majority of the total vote is required to win election to the Senate in Georgia. If neither candidate gets 50 percent +1 out of all votes cast, there will be a run-off in January. Naturally both candidates would prefer a November victory to January one. But if both remain stuck below 50 with so many close races this year, control of the Senate could come down to a January Georgia showdown in a race that did not appear to be competitive until well into this year.  

The RJC PAC has endorsed David Perdue. You can help him win by clicking here to support his campaign.

Please watch this space for more in-depth analysis on individual races in the critical 2020 elections. If you’d like to share your thoughts with me on any of these races, please email me at [email protected]. Click here to see previous "Notes from Norm."