ATLANTA — President-elect Joe Biden cut an ad for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock that ties the twin runoff races for control of the U.S. Senate directly to the fate of his plan to contain the coronavirus pandemic and juice the economy.
The minute-long ad released Thursday outlines Biden's plan to boost the public health response from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ensure free testing and vaccination for every American and pump financial relief into small businesses.
"Let me be clear, I need Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the United States Senate to get this done," he said of the Jan. 5 runoffs.
"There are folks in Congress threatening to do everything in their power to block our efforts. We need you to get out there and vote for Jon Ossoff, as well as Raphael Warnock. We need them in the Senate."
It echoes the message Biden delivered during a Tuesday visit to Atlanta when he warned that a victory by U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue would lead to the sort of obstruction that stymied President Barack Obama for much of his two terms in the White House.
The two Democrats, who are essentially running as a joint ticket, both appear at the end of the ad, saying in unison that they approve the message over a clip of them addressing a crowded rally. Both Republicans are running in tandem, too, and accuse the Democrats of pushing to lead the state down a liberal path that's too extreme for Georgians.
The ad coincides with the first week of early voting, which has reflected the surge of energy surrounding the high-stakes race. More than 700,000 Georgians have already cast ballots, and the turnout for in-person voting is outpacing the same period in the November general election.
Democrats need to flip both seats to gain control of the U.S. Senate, while Republicans need only win one to maintain their edge. More than $440 million has been spent or reserved in TV ads, and thousands of staffers and volunteers are working to re-energize voters in a race that's attracted a staggering amount of national attention.
President Donald Trump and just about every other potential 2024 contender has stumped in Georgia, and Vice President Mike Pence is set to visit Macon and Columbus on Thursday — his fourth trip to Georgia to stump for the two Republicans.
Here's the transcript:
"Georgia, I know things are tough right now. But I want you to know, help is on the way.
"My administration is preparing to beat COVID-19 and get economic relief to the American people.
"On day one as your president, I'm prepared to sign a COVID relief package that fully funds the public health response needed, led by Georgia's own CDC.
"It will ensure free testing and vaccination for every American and will get small businesses the assistance they need right now.
"Let me be clear, I need Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the United States Senate to get this done.
"There are folks in Congress threatening to do everything in their power to block our efforts.
"We need you to get out there and vote for Jon Ossoff, as well as Raphael Warnock. We need them in the Senate.
"God Bless America and may God protect our troops."
"I'm Raphael Warnock and I'm Jon Ossoff, and we approve this message."
