Purdue vs. Ossoff

Kirsten Carroll, Staff Writer

Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican incumbent Senator David Perdue are moving onto a runoff election on January 5th, 2021, with Perdue currently having 49.7% of the total vote and Ossoff having 48% of the total vote.

During the October 2020 debate between Ossoff and Perdue, each candidate threw high level accusations at each other over the issue of coronavirus throughout their heated debate, and after accusing Ossoff of being a radical socialist, Perdue felt his words hit him right back when Ossoff went on to say that, “Two hundred twenty thousand Americans have been killed and listen to you- not a shred of empathy- not a shred of personal responsibility (about) a virus that you told us posed low risk to our health.”

Both men are fiercely fighting for the Senate seat in a number of interviews and campaigns. For example, on the topic of healthcare, Perdue and Ossoff claim to make healthcare for all Georgians their first priority.

When asked about how he plans to ensure every Georgian necessary health care by WTVM’s Barbara Gauthier during the WTOC11 debate, Perdue responded, “half of the counties in our state are now limited to one health care insurance provider,” and he went on to state that he co-sponsored a bill that “would give us protection against pre-existing conditions in the event that the Affordable Care Act is indeed determined by the Supreme Court to be unconstitutional”, whereas Ossoff answered by saying, “Well this is the most important issue in the midst of this public health crisis.”

Politicians, campaign workers, and supporters have all expressed their opinions and concerns for both candidates, and Georgians can’t help but wonder how a Perdue or Ossoff victory will affect the future of their state.