Biden Likely to Stump in Georgia for Senate Runoffs, Aide Says

(Bloomberg) -- President-elect Joe Biden is likely to travel to Georgia to campaign for the two Democratic Senate candidates ahead of the runoff elections in January, his new chief of staff said Sunday.

Ron Klain, whom Biden selected this week to be his top adviser in the White House, said the president-elect plans to campaign before the Jan. 5 votes, which will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.

Biden narrowly won the state of Georgia in the presidential election, becoming the first Democrat to win the formerly reliably Republican state since 1996. Control of the Senate has major implications for Biden’s ability to enact his policy priorities.

“We’re going to work hard to help win those Senate seats,” Klain said on Meet the Press. “I think you’ll see the president elect campaign down there as we’re getting closer to Election Day.”

The Democrats, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, advanced to run-offs to face incumbent Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively.

If Democrats win both races there would be a 50-50 tie in the Senate, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris breaking any tie votes.

“We going to put people, money, resources down there to help our two good candidates win,” Klain said. “I’m very hopeful that we can win those seats.”

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