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President-elect Joe Biden and President Donald Trump are slated to campaign on Monday in Georgia, where two U.S. Senate runoff elections on Tuesday are set to determine the balance of power in Washington.
Biden is scheduled to speak at an event in Atlanta around 4:30 or 4:45 p.m. Eastern, according to his transition team. Trump is due to deliver an address in Dalton, Ga., during a rally that starts at 7 p.m.
Trump is expected to call on Georgians to back their two incumbent Republican senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, as they are challenged by Democratic candidates Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. But there have been concerns that the outgoing president’s attacks on top Georgia Republicans over his election loss in the state could cause some GOP voters to stay away from the polls. The president over the weekend told Georgia’s election chief to overturn Biden’s November win in the state, and audio of their call has received considerable attention.
See: Trump, on audio tape, presses Georgia official to ‘find’ more votes
Also: Trump’s Georgia call — here’s the complete transcript
Plus: Impeachment redux? Democratic lawmakers condemn Trump’s remarks, raise question of criminality
“GOP infighting over election results and stimulus has clearly been a headwind with polls tilting towards the challengers,” said Height Capital Markets analysts in a note on Monday.
“We view a clear message about participation from President Trump’s scheduled rally in the state today as pivotal to the election day ‘get out the vote’ effort.”
Republicans already control 50 seats following November’s elections and can remain the majority party in the 100-seat Senate by winning just one of the two Georgia races. They then would provide a check on policies backed by Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and the Democratic-run House of Representatives.
Read more: Biden to campaign in Atlanta before Georgia’s Senate runoffs
And see: Trump plans to visit Georgia county with low early voter turnout
Betting markets and polls on Monday were signaling some confidence in the Democratic Party’s prospects.
The runoff elections in Georgia have the potential to inject volatility into a stock market. U.S. stocks SPX, -2.01% DJIA, -1.90% were trading sharply lower on Monday.
Now read: The fate of value stocks rests on the Georgia Senate races, JPMorgan strategists say
