‘Everything’ rests on Georgia’s two U.S. Senate runoffs, Andrew Yang says in Columbus
Alexander Butterworth said he hadn’t been sure if he’d knock on doors for the Democratic candidates ahead of Georgia’s two U.S. Senate runoffs. Then Andrew Yang spoke, and the 28-year-old Columbus resident changed his mind.
“We need to get people in the Senate who care about Georgia,” Butterworth said Sunday.
Yang, a former Democratic presidential candidate, was in Columbus to kick off the Muscogee County Democratic party’s canvassing efforts ahead of the Jan. 5 election.
Joined by former Columbus mayor Teresa Tomlinson, state Rep. Carolyn Hugley and other local public officials, Yang stressed the importance of what the election means for President-elect Joe Biden’s administration.
If Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeat Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, the Democrats will gain control of the U.S. Senate. Atlanta will play a key factor, Tomlinson said, but Democratic voters in Georgia’s other large cities like Columbus must turn out.
Sunday’s event came one day after President Donald Trump held a rally in Valdosta in support of Loeffler and Perdue and just hours before scheduled debates. “Everything,” Yang said, rests on the January runoffs.
“The rest of the country doubted Georgia could turn blue,” Yang said. “There are still a lot of people around the country who aren’t so sure about our prospects on Jan. 5.
“This is going to be neck-and-neck the whole way,” he added. “Every person you talk to ... could be the difference makers in these races.”
Yang attacks Loeffler, Perdue
Yang spoke for nearly 10 minutes in front of a crowd of socially distanced and masked supporters behind the Columbus Civic Center.
The former presidential candidate announced last month that he was moving to Georgia to campaign for Warnock and Ossoff. Yang spent a portion of his remarks Sunday attacking Loeffler and Perdue for stock transactions made in the wake of private briefings for senators early in the COVID-19 outbreak.
After reviews by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department, Perdue has not been charged with any crime. A Senate ethics committee investigation also found no evidence that Loeffler broke laws or Senate rules, Politifact reported.
“I want you to imagine being in a position of power, getting the word that a pandemic is going to sweep the country, and your first move is to adjust your stock portfolio,” Yang said. “You could not make that up. ... But that is what happened.”
Yang attacked Perdue for failing to debate Ossoff ahead of the election, mentioning a previous time where Perdue declined to debate his challenger. Yang also referenced an October debate where Ossoff called Perdue a “crook.” The clip went viral. Perdue declined an invitation from the Atlanta Press Club to debate Ossoff Sunday evening. Perdue was represented by an empty podium.
“It’s clearly just a move where (Perdue) decided it was not in his political interest to debate Jon Ossoff,” Yang said. “The people of Georgia deserve better representation, better leadership than someone who will not show up to debate their opponent.”
In an interview after the event, Yang said he and other Democratic organizers are trying to use the Republican infighting over the November election results against them. Loeffler and Perdue previously called on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who oversaw elections in which Trump lost the state, to resign from his post. Trump has repeatedly attacked his one-time ally, Gov. Brian Kemp, over the election results.
Yang called the attacks accusing Raffensperger of wrongdoing “ridiculous.”
‘Everyone can see that Republicans are trying to get their stories straight in terms of whether the elections were trustworthy or fair,” he said. “On the Democratic side, we are just thrilled to be energizing our people and getting out the vote — and pleased that Republicans can’t seem to make up their minds as to whether their votes are counted or count.”
What do voters like about Ossoff and Warnock?
Yang’s appearance attracted some young voters who supported him during the 2020 campaign, including Columbus State University students James Mills and Jewel Kaio. The two said Ossoff was an appealing candidate, and that he shared some characteristics with Yang.
“Ossoff seems to be a very honest person, and he just seems very straightforward with what he wants to do. I see the same thing in Yang,” Mills said.
Butterworth said he likes Warnock’s charitable work and that Ossoff is the kind of Democrat who could appeal to independent voters. Butterworth said it was important that both men win their races.
“We really have to carry it for the rest of the (country),” Butterworth said. “We have to step up our game.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 5:27 PM.