For a while now, the conventional wisdom among politicos was the notion that if Democrats had any chance of reclaiming a Georgia Senate seat this cycle, it would be the one currently held by GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler (which will likely end in a January 2021 runoff). But the state's other Republican senator, David Perdue, had some not-so-peachy news for a group of state GOP activists: Georgia is on the table, period.
"Here's the reality: The state of Georgia is in play," Perdue said Monday, according to recorded audio of a private call with Women for Trump, which was obtained by CNN. "The Democrats have made it that way." Perdue added that he figures he will need "twice the number of votes" he got in 2014 in order to keep his seat this cycle.
First of all, just a guess that not all of those women were "for Trump." Second, Republicans would do themselves a favor if they looked in the mirror. It's not just that Democrats "made it that way"—the GOP's changing fortunes are in large part due to their own abysmal political agenda and management of the state. The GOP governor is currently opening the state back up for business while coronavirus testing rates remain woefully low and case counts are still on the rise. So yeah, maybe it's the GOP tax cuts for the richest 1%, maybe it's the GOP death march, maybe it's Senate Republicans failing to get anything done for the American people other than confirming unfit, right-wing judges—but definitely don’t be so shy about claiming credit for the hole you’re now in.
That's why it's not just Georgia that's in play. Along with Senate races featuring GOP incumbents in Colorado, Arizona, Maine, and North Carolina that everyone knew could prove tough for Republicans, even more conservative states like Georgia, Iowa, Montana, and maybe even Kansas are turning into targets for Democrats. And Republicans are only exacerbating the problem.
In Georgia, Loeffler's seat now features a messy Republican primary with Trump-backed GOP Rep. Doug Collins. If no candidate clears 50% in November, the race will move to a runoff of the top two candidates early next year.
Kansas also has a divisive primary race featuring Kris Kobach, who lost his gubernatorial bid in 2018 to Democrat Laura Kelly.
In Montana, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock has put the race against GOP Sen. Steve Daines in play.
That's a lot of opportunity for Senate Democrats, who need a net gain of either four seats or three, if Democrats retake the White House.
Perdue's vision for what might happen under unified Democratic control was particularly stark, including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico gaining statehood, abolishing the Electoral College, and adding four judges to the Supreme Court.
Sounds like a dream.