Who Is the Georgia ‘Spoiler’ and What Now?
The Georgia Senate seat is still undecided although Senator Raphael Warnock led his Republican opponent, Herschel Walker, by nearly one percent -- about 35,000 votes -- when the votes were counted.
Either candidate would have needed a 50% + 1 share of the vote to be declared the winner. Under Georgia law, the race will now be decided in a runoff election on Dec. 6.
What happened to the 2 percent of the vote that could have made either one of the candidates a winner on Nov. 8?
It went to Libertarian candidate, Chase Oliver, who pulled about 81,000 votes and thus kept both major candidates from getting a definitive 50% of the vote.
Who is this “spoiler” and how will his followers vote during the runoff?
Perhaps more important: Now that the Senate is “secured” and although Georgia is still on our mind, will Democrats (and Republicans) still go all out for this seat?
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Democrats have secured a 50-50 “majority” (with the Vice-President’s tie-breaking vote) in the U.S. Senate.
While control of the House theoretically and mathematically still hangs in the balance, it is an undeniable fact that Democrats have done much better than what the pundits predicted and that they have clearly defied the “midterms historical trends.” That much-touted gigantic red wave turned into a paltry orange trickle.
It can also be forcefully argued that democracy, principles, decency and civility won and that voters roundly rejected extremists, ideologues, fear mongers and conspiracy theorists. In other words, Trump and his MAGA cult of liars and election deniers were roundly defeated. Several prominent headlines clearly say so. “Election deniers lose races for key state offices in every 2020 battleground” writes the Washington Post. “Voters Reject Election Deniers Running to Take Over Elections,” heralds the New York Times.
The Georgia Senate seat is still undecided although Senator Raphael Warnock led his Republican opponent, Herschel Walker, by nearly one percent — about 35,000 votes — when the votes were counted.
Either candidate would have needed a 50% + 1 share of the vote to be declared the winner. Under Georgia law, the race will now be decided in a runoff election on Dec. 6.
What happened to the 2 percent of the vote that could have made either one of the candidates a winner on Nov. 8?
It went to Libertarian candidate, Chase Oliver, who pulled about 81,000 votes and thus kept both major candidates from getting a definitive 50% of the vote.
Who is this “spoiler” and how will his followers vote during the runoff?
Perhaps more important: Now that the Senate is “secured” and although Georgia is still on our mind, will Democrats (and Republicans) still go all out for this seat?
The first question is easier to answer than the two other questions.
The Guardian, in its “The ‘armed and gay’ Senate hopeful who helped force Georgia’s runoff,” gives us a glimpse into the 37-year-old “spoiler.”
In it, we learn that Oliver is gay and has been active in LGBTQ issues since he was a teenager, in a state that had anti-sodomy laws until 2003. He is pro-gun, anti-cop and pro-choice, “[b]ut it’s government dysfunction that really animates him.”
Oliver holds two jobs, “one as a sales account executive for a financial services company and another as an HR rep for a securities firm.” He also has three cats and a dog.
Most surprising — “impressive” – is the fact that Oliver was able to win 81,000 votes by raising only $7,790 for his campaign, compared to the $136 million raised by the two other candidates. “The bulk of that fundraising went toward yard signs, canvassing materials and gas for his beat-up Toyota Corolla,” writes the Guardian.
How will his followers vote during the runoff?
Oliver’s clear preference for one of the candidates would certainly be a big influence on his followers.
However, Oliver is not endorsing either candidate – at least not yet.
It is not even at all clear as to “exactly who went for Oliver…” writes the Guardian.
If that is not clear, how those 80,000 – if they all show up — will vote in the runoff is even muddier.
The question of what will now happen in Georgia on December 6 is even more vexing for several reasons. It can be better discussed by way of additional questions and some assumptions:
Now that Democrats have secured a “majority” in the Senate, is a fifty-first Democratic seat still critical? Will Democrats still go out and vote as they did on November 8 or will there be some voter apathy?
Most Democrats believe that winning a 51st seat will make it easier for Democrats to expedite judicial and cabinet confirmations and — what may become important in the next Congress – it will give Senate Democratic committee chairs subpoena power.
It will give Democrats a little more cushion when dealing with the one or two DINOs (“Democrats In Name Only”)in the Senate.
On the other hand, now that Walker will not be the decisive fifty-first vote, will Republicans still hold their noses and come out to vote for a morally flawed man with absolutely no experience, no principles – a man who Republicans were using merely as a convenient tool to gain power?
A lot also depends on the kind and amount of support Warnock and Walker receive from their respective parties
With that in mind, I hope Trump will enthusiastically campaign for Walker and that Republicans will stick with Trumpty Dumpty for 2024.
But, then again, perhaps Republicans will finally get tired of winning.
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