Sen. David Perdue has declined an invitation to debate challenger Jon Ossoff ahead of the U.S. Senate runoff election in January. The Atlanta Press Club was planning to host two separate debates on December 6. One of the debates will likely feature Rev. Raphael Warnock and Trump appointee Kelly Loeffler, but the second will not move forward as planned.
After learning of Perdue's denial, Ossoff took to Twitter to call out his competitor.
"Looks like Sen. David Perdue is too much of a coward to debate me again. Senator, come on out and try to defend your record. I'm ready to go," Ossoff tweeted.
Perdue and Ossoff have never been shy when discussing each other. Ossoff has called Perdue a "crook" and Perdue accused him of profiting from foreign powers like China. Perdue has also garnered criticism for his support of President Donald Trump. In the days leading up to the election, he joined Trump at a Georgia rally where many attendees were spotted without face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite his refusal to debate Ossoff, members of Perdue's campaign staff have remained confident in their ability to defeat Ossoff in the January runoff election.
"The runoff in Georgia is an extension of the November 3rd general election, where 52 percent of Georgians voted against Jon Ossoff and his radical agenda. Perdue had a commanding first place win, outpacing Ossoff by over 85,000 votes — in nearly every other state, Perdue would have been re-elected already," Perdue campaign manager Ben Fry said.
Perdue and Ossoff's battle could very well play a pivotal part in determining the effectiveness of the Biden administration. If Democrats are able to pick up two seats in January's elections, the party would gain a 50-50 split in the Senate. In this scenario, Vice President Kamala Harris would hold the tie breaking vote in the Senate.
Voters in the state of Georgia will have until December 7 to register. The runoff election will take place on January 5.
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