Perdue, Ossoff Set For 1st Georgia Senate Debate

October 12th, 2020

Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia is set to face Democrat Jon Ossoff in the first debate of their U.S. Senate race Monday afternoon.

The debate will be held virtually with candidates joining by video conferencing from separate locations. The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 213,000 people in the U.S., is likely to be front and center.

Ossoff has already sought to make Perdue’s handling of the pandemic a central part of the campaign, accusing him of downplaying the risk of the virus and undermining scientists.

Perdue’s campaign has fired back, saying Ossoff is skewing his record and that the senator has helped secure billions of dollars in economic assistance, as well as protective medical gear and drugs for treatment.

While statewide races in Georgia tend to favor Republican candidates, public polling shows a neck-and-neck battle between Perdue and Ossoff. That’s led to huge sums of money being spent on advertising by both the candidates and outside groups with a stake in the outcome.

Georgia’s other Republican-held U.S. Senate seat is also up for grabs this year, and more than $150 million has been committed to ads in the two races combined, including past spending and future reservations.

Perdue, 70, is a former business executive who is seeking his second term in the Senate. Ossoff, 33, heads a media company that investigates crime and corruption for news organizations.

Monday’s debate will take place the same day the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to begin hearings in Washington on President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, opening another potential avenue of contention between Ossoff and Perdue.

Republicans including Perdue are pushing for a quick confirmation of the judge, while Democrats have said that any appointment should wait until after the election.

Perdue has lauded Barrett, saying in a recent statement that she “will be an exceptional Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Ossoff meanwhile has raised questions about what confirmation of Barrett would mean for the future of the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform law passed by Congress in 2010.

“Will Judge Barrett impartially uphold the rule of law and defend the public interest by upholding the Affordable Care Act, which prevents insurance companies from denying health coverage to Americans suffering from cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other pre-existing conditions?” Ossoff asked in a recent news release.

The Supreme Court will soon hear arguments in a challenge to the law by the Trump administration and Republican-led states including Georgia.

Monday’s debate, which is the first of three debates scheduled in the race, will also include Libertarian candidate Shane Hazel. It will be livestreamed at 3 p.m on GPB.org and air at 8 p.m. on GPB-TV and the Atlanta Press Club’s Facebook page.