As of December 21, more than 1.3 million Georgiaians have voted to elect two Senate seats in the primary election on January 5 - the same number as voters going to the polls at the time (2 weeks before) in the November election.
The race for 2 Senate seats will decide whether the Republican or Democratic Party controls the Senate. Currently, the Republican Party holds 50 seats, the Democratic Party has 48 seats.
According to an analysis by the Washington Post of Georgia voter data, the Democrats have the advantage in early voting before the January 5 race between Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue and Democratic Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. But the Republican Party is narrowing the gap and the Democratic Party's lead is now a little smaller than at this time in the general election.
Voter data provides little details about which candidates could benefit from this early increase in the number of voters, with polls showing that the races are largely close; but the numbers highlight the enthusiasm of both sides. The election results will determine whether President-elect Joe Biden can issue a more ambitious Democratic agenda or whether the Republican Party will still control the Senate and thereby block Joe Biden's initiatives.
Some Democratic voters have said they have been motivated by Joe Biden's victory and are eager to see his priorities realized with the help of a unified government. Meanwhile, some Republicans say they want the Senate to remain under Republican control.
Cindy Davidson, 63, a Republican voter who voted on December 18 in Cobb County, a Democratic- favorite district in northwest Atlanta, said: A commitment is needed. Everything cannot be one-sided. That is not good for anyone who is in control.
About 36,000 Georgiaans who did not vote in November voted early in the Senate race, according to state data. This includes those underage to vote last month.
Currently, independent campaigns and groups have spent more than $400 million on advertising.
Joe Biden is the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in Georgia - a traditional red state since 1992. Democratic Party members in Georgia said they were pleased to see a large number of party voters cast in the first week of early voting.
Chamber Maggies, a Democratic spokeswoman in Georgia, said: The rate of voters going to the polls that we have seen so far in the first week of early voting is unprecedented. Georgia voters voted in large numbers in November to turn Georgia into a green state, and we continue that momentum.
State data also shows that after losing to the Democrats in mail-in voting in the November presidential election, the Republicans have now narrowed the gap in absentee votes.
When asked to comment, Republican officials pointed to a recent interview with Fox News with Republican strategist Karl Rove, who said that older voters voting early by mail is a good sign that older Republican voters are voting.
This is a fight to the end. The Republican Party is doing quite well. They have a long way to go, Rove said in the interview.
Georgia voters have a tradition of voting in person rather than by mail. That has changed this year with an increase in mail-in voting in the November election as many people want to avoid exposure to viruses at polling places.
President Donald Trump has planned another trip to Georgia on January 4, right before the vote, to campaign for the two Republican candidates in the state Senate election.
