ATLANTA — With COVID-19 and the rare case of two U.S. Senate races being run at the same time, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms took to Zoom to endorse Jon Ossoff for one Senate seat and the Reverend Raphael Warnock in the crowded race for the other.
“It’s my honor to offer them formally my endorsement,” Bottoms said Thursday.
With two Senate seats up for grabs, it’s possible that control of the U.S. Senate could come down to Georgia.
The most wide-open battle in the state is the so-called jungle primary.
Twenty-one candidates are fighting for the seat to which Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed.
Loeffler is currently under fire for her participation in the White House Rose Garden event at the center of the coronavirus outbreak among Trump staffers and Republican lawmakers.
A New York Times photo shows Loeffler indoors that day in a private reception with the President and first lady.
The photo shows no masks or social distancing, just days before the first couple tested positive for COVID-19.
Channel 2 Investigative reporter Justin Gray talked to Loeffler and asked her if attending the event is something that she’ll regret.
“Look, we have all been tested multiple times,” Loeffler said. “I was with the President twice the prior week, was tested both days prior to going into those, and also going out. So I’ve had three negative tests in ten days. Obviously, we have to follow the guidelines, but we also have a job to do.”
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Democratic candidate Warnock said he believes this shows Loeffler isn’t taking the pandemic seriously.
“Think about that: The Peoples' House has become a hot spot, and I think she is demonstrating over and over again that she is most focused on standing with Donald Trump,” Warnock said.
Congressman Doug Collins, who hasn’t been shy about criticizing Loeffler on a long list of topics, does not have a problem with that White House event.
He told Gray he thinks Loeffler and other attendees acted responsibly.
“I think we have to understand this virus is a part of us,” Collins said. “We have to take precautions as necessary but we also can’t shut down our country thinking it’s going to go away, as Joe Biden would.”
With so many candidates, the special election Senate race is likely heading for a runoff.
Loeffler and Collins are both trying to appeal to the same conservative voters.
“It’s important to know that in nine months, I’ve delivered more results than Congressman Collins has delivered in nine years,” Loeffler said.
“People can see through a fake,” Collins rebutted. “Kelly Loeffler’s a fake.”
Since both Collins and Loeffler currently serve in Congress, we asked them both about broken negotiations to pass a stimulus bill.
“It should be very targeted, limited to the businesses that have been hurt the most,” Collins said.
“We need to be helping airlines and families and communities that are affected by this, but not bailing out blue states that are reckless with spending,” Loeffler said
Gray asked Loeffler about her controversial WrestleMania Tweet that read, “COVID stood no chance to Donald Trump” and showed a video of Trump “tackling” the virus in a wrestling ring.
“In a crowded political environment, sometimes humor can be a way to break through to very serious issues,” Loeffler said.
Warnock disagreed.
“It’s not a joke, it’s something to be taken seriously,” Warnock said.
In a press conference, Warnock focused not on the other candidates, but primarily on health care. He pushed to expand Medicaid and protect the Affordable Care Act.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to get rid of health care the Affordable Care Act in the middle of a pandemic, leaving 1.8 million Georgians with preexisting conditions uncovered,” Warnock said.
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