Georgia Senate candidates Perdue, Ossoff and Hazel spar in virtual debate
Incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue and his Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff are neck-and-neck as they vie for one of Georgia’s Senate seats, according to recent state and national polls. They faced off Monday afternoon in The Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series and spent the hour attacking each other’s motives and funding sources during a terse back-and-forth.
Perdue repeatedly claimed Ossoff is hiding a “radical socialist agenda” and receives funding from Qatari media conglomerate Al-Jazeera, the Chinese government and communist organizations. Ossoff denied Perdue’s claims, pointing to a Washington Post analysis that examined them.
Ossoff accused Perdue of selling meetings and private island retreats to corporate political action committees (PACs) to secure campaign funds and criticized Perdue for lying about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic while supporting the Trump administration’s COVID-19 response. Perdue responded by repeating that Ossoff received funding from communist organizations.
The hour-long debate often devolved into overlapping arguments and attacks by both candidates. During the debate’s second segment, candidates were allowed to ask the other questions. The repeated back-and-forth between Ossoff and Perdue prompted moderator Donna Lowry to ask that candidates raise their hand to request a rebuttal.
Panelists asked candidates to refrain from “casting blame” or “taking credit” in response to the current pandemic. Neither Ossoff nor Perdue refrained. Ossoff claimed that Perdue failed to do his job and threatened to cut funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Perdue rebutted by calling Ossoff’s response “idle chatter,” and claimed that Ossoff opposed the Paycheck Protection Program, which provided loans to small businesses to fend off the economic impact of the pandemic.
When Ossoff attempted to respond, Perdue interrupted, prompting Ossoff to ask, “Are you done, Senator?”
“No, not by a long shot,” Perdue replied.
Ossoff called the responses “schoolyard insults,” stating that Perdue “[had] not a shred of empathy.” Perdue replied that Ossoff should be ashamed of himself, and then repeated his claim that Ossoff took money from the Chinese government.
In their closing statements, both candidates called for unity in a time of national divisiveness.
Libertarian candidate and Marine veteran Shane Hazel, a distant third behind Perdue and Ossoff in recent polls, also participated in the debate. Hazel criticized the PPP and CARES Act and pointed to Perdue and Ossoff’s heated back-and-forth as an example of why he is a more viable candidate.
“Ladies and gents, if you’re sick of this kind of stuff and you want principled consistency on the policy here in the United States and overseas, you’re not going to get it with these type of politicians,” he said.
Viewers can re-watch the debate on the Atlanta Press Club’s Facebook page.
Zoe Katz is an Election SOS fellow covering the 2020 election for the Telegraph. She is a Georgia-based writer and recent graduate of Agnes Scott College.