Related video: Georgia election official debunks one Trump conspiracy theory after another
Georgia Secretary of state Brad Raffensperger has said he does not expect final results to become clear until Wednesday morning, while the Loeffler campaign has found itself caught up in a late racism scandal over an attack ad that appeared on Facebook in which the skin colour of Reverend Warnock, who is Black, appeared to have been made artificially darker.
President-elect Joe Biden was campaigning for the Democrats on Monday evening, promising voters that their victories would mean a blue takeover of the Senate and thus the chance to upgrade Covid-19 relief cheques for Americans from the current $600 to $2,000, a move staunchly opposed by current Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.
The president has meanwhile continued to amplify election fraud conspiracies as he pushes for GOP candidates, telling his followers that “emboldened Radical Left Democrats” have sought to steal “victory” from Republican voters.
Check out The Independent’s live coverage and analysis below.
Trump’s final election message? ‘Radical Left Democrats’ want to steal the election
The president has been watching TV, it seems:
That was also the message at his – potentially last-ever, as president – rally in Dalton, Georgia on Monday night, amplifying unfounded and verifiably untrue claims about election fraud and claiming, as he has been for years, that Democrats want to destroy the US.
Here’s Richard Hall’s look back at Trump’s last stand, from on the ground:
Alex Woodward5 January 2021 22:30
Mystery shrouds abrupt departure of Trump-appointed US attorney in Georgia
On Monday, Byung J “BJay” Pak – US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia – announced his sudden departure from the office. On Tuesday, Donald Trump – who appointed him in 2017 – installed his interim replacement: Bobby Christine, the current US Attorney in the Southern District. He’ll hold both roles, for now.
The timing has felt… weird, to say the least. Pak’s departure came the day after The Washington Post released recordings from an hour-long call between the president and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, in which the president pressured him to “find” enough votes to overturn his loss.
The president also called a US attorney in the state, possibly Pak, a “never-Trumper” after he fumed about officials refusing to indulge his conspiracy-fuelled, likely criminal allegations.
In a brief statement confirming his departure, he said only that “it has been the greatest honor of my professional career” and that he has “done my best to be thoughtful and consistent, and to provide justice for my fellow citizens in a fair, effective and efficient manner” while thanking the president and US Attorney General William Barr.
Alex Woodward5 January 2021 22:11
Loeffler and Perdue accused of photoshopping opponents in racist attack ads
‘There is no level she could stoop to that would surprise us,’ says Warnock’s campaign after ad manipulation by Loeffler
Chris Riotta5 January 2021 21:20
David Perdue: Who is the Republican and who is he facing in Georgia Senate election?
The less Trumpist of Georgia’s two Republican senators says he’s a man of his word – but he’s passing up opportunities to defend himself
Chris Riotta5 January 2021 21:10
Democrats have far outraised Republicans in Georgia
The Democratic Party is showing strength in terms of fundraising and early voter turnout — but it remains to be seen whether those two factors will translate in a historic win.
Chris Riotta5 January 2021 20:52
When will we know Georgia Senate results?
The race will decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.
Chris Riotta5 January 2021 20:22
ICYMI: Why Trump’s call with Raffensperger won’t overturn his electoral defeat in Georgia
It was the phone call heard around the country — and yet, President Donald Trump’s conversation with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won’t do anything to change the election results in Georgia, or nationwide for that matter.
Chris Riotta5 January 2021 19:55
More: Trump refuted in real time by Georgia officials
Donald Trump’s false claims concerning the Georgia runoff election were slapped down in real time when a state election officials corrected him on Twitter.
Chris Riotta5 January 2021 19:35
‘Sorry you received old intel, Mr. President’
Local officials in Georgia are reassuring voters that their ballots are safe and being counted despite Donald Trump’s flagrant falsities surrounding the runoff elections:
Chris Riotta5 January 2021 19:16
Analysis: If Democrats win in Georgia, big tech will have to change
As an ex-president, Trump won’t have as much freedom to lie on social media — but that will still be too much, Alexander Heffner writes:
Chris Riotta5 January 2021 18:45
