Sen. Loeffler on Georgia emerging as unlikely battleground in 2020

“There is tremendous momentum” for Republicans in Georgia with the November election less than three weeks away, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., told “Sunday Morning Futures” in an exclusive interview.

Loeffler acknowledged on Sunday that Georgia is “a battleground state.”

“We are ground zero for this election,” She said. “I mean, the American dream is on the ballot.”

“What we’re looking at is a stark choice between economic opportunity, prosperity, and the American dream, or the Democrats agenda that is so radical, gloom and doom that would keep us locked down,” she continued.

Loeffler went on to say that she thinks Georgians are going to “make sure” that President Trump “gets re-elected and the road to the Senate majority runs through Georgia right here through my seat.”

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Republicans currently control the Senate with 53 seats to Democrats’ 47. To take control of the chamber, Democrats need a net gain of four seats (or three seats and the vice presidency).

Loeffler is running for a full term to the U.S. Senate in a November 3 special election. The businesswoman was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp last December to succeed the retiring Johnny Isakson, who left office at the end of 2019 due to health issues.

After being spurned in his quest to be appointed to replace retiring Sen. Isakson, Rep. Doug Collins opted to run anyway, kicking off an ugly, expensive intra-party fight. Collins and Loeffler are busy attacking each other while Democrats are unscathed.

This is a jungle primary election. If no candidate gets more than half of the vote on Nov. 3, the top two finishers will go on to a runoff.

Democrats initially seemed to be leaning toward Matt Lieberman, a businessman from suburban Atlanta and the son of 2000 Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Lieberman. But Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Martin Luther King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has seen his share of the vote soar since he officiated the nationally televised funeral for Rep. John Lewis. But since it's improbable that any candidate will get above the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff, Democrats will face longer odds in a head-to-head with Loeffler or Collins.

In 2016 President Trump won the state, which was Republican held since 2004, by 5.1 points.

Over the past few of days, President Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden campaigned in key battleground states.

On Friday, Trump started his day by campaigning in Flordia, a vital swing state, then traveled to Georgia for a second rally in Macon.

A RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Biden with a slim 1.4 percentage point lead in Florida and a 1.2 percentage point lead in Georgia. 

On Sunday host Maria Bartiromo noted that Georgia is now “an unlikely battleground state” and asked Loeffler if she thinks it will “stay red.”
Loeffler noted that “with two Senate seats open and obviously with President Trump on the ballot,” Democrats “want this seat,” but added that “there is tremendous momentum.”

“President Trump has lifted all Americans up through his successful economic agenda,” she said. “He has strengthened our military, he’s re-strengthened us around the world, stood with our men and women in law enforcement so it’s a clear choice and we are turning out, we have great momentum across the state for President Trump.”

She added, “I’m the leading Republican in my race because it’s a clear choice between the swamp and the radical left.”

Loeffler also pointed out that she is a business person and “a political outsider just like the president.”

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She went on to say that she “has gotten more done in 10 months than my Republican opponent has in 10 years.”

Fox News’ Chris Stirewalt and Megan Henney contributed to this report.