At Harris’ drive-in rally in Columbus, Democrats honked their horns in applause when the California senator said she, too, would vote for the relief bill. And both Ossoff and Warnock said they support the package to get Georgians immediate relief, even as they criticized Republicans for not sweetening the pot.
Ossoff singled out Senate Republicans for not agreeing to heftier direct relief checks “while so many are struggling this holiday season,” adding that ”$600 won’t cover the rent or the bills that have piled up over months of inaction by Republicans in Congress.”
And Warnock offered his own sharp criticism, saying the direct payments are “not only out of touch but disrespectful” to struggling Georgians. At the rally, he encouraged voters who believe “health care is a human right” to support the Democratic campaigns.
Credit: John Bazemore
In a joint statement, the two Republicans accused their rivals of “playing politics with Americans’ health and livelihoods by blocking additional relief for our families and small businesses” and praised the legislation they both planned to support as a measured compromise.
But both offered only brief mention of the pandemic during a rally in Milton with President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka. Perdue invoked the package of small business loans approved at the onset of the outbreak that he said “saved our small banks,” while his campaign panned Ossoff for criticizing the bill.
Ivanka Trump, on the other hand, emphasized the $3 trillion worth of COVID-related spending already approved by Congress as well as the new relief package.
“They’re actually headed back to Washington this afternoon to vote to get more money into the Paycheck Protection Program and support American small businesses,” she said.
There’s good reason why the two incumbents might have skirted talk about the stimulus bill on the trail: For the crowd of conservatives, voting on another major spending measure didn’t inspire much applause. The senators were showered with cheers, by contrast, when both promised to “fight” for the president, who continues to level unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.
Shane Spikes and Brian Crowe both rode to the Milton event on motorcycles, decked out in leather riding chaps and jackets as a part of a “Patriots Riding Club” that they founded last month. But neither was happy to hear about another COVID relief bill.
“People are hurting, so I think relief is necessary,” Crowe said. “But no one in the government should have the authority to decide which businesses are…
Read More: Stimulus deal to provide relief for Georgians, though runoff candidates