Georgia US Senate race: Ossoff again campaigning in overtime
by Ben Nadler And Russ Bynum, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 23, 2020 12:30 pm EDT
Last Updated Dec 23, 2020 at 12:44 pm EDT
Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Georgia Jon Ossoff waves as he leaves a polling place after voting early in Atlanta on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. For the second time in three years, Jon Ossoff is campaigning in overtime. The question is whether the 33-year-old Democrat can deliver a win in a crucial Jan. 5 runoff with Republican Sen. David Perdue. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
ATLANTA Though still chasing his first victory, Jon Ossoff is no stranger to the pressure of campaigning in overtime this time for one of two crucial U.S. Senate seats that will determine control of the chamber.
One reason Georgians elected Joe Biden for president by just under 12,000 votes this year may be due to the number of new citizens in the state, especially those from Asian countries, who showed up to vote in large numbers.
“It was exhilarating,” said Debashri Sengupta, who was born in India and voted for the first time in Georgia this year. “We couldn’t believe we were finally voting in a presidential election.”
She is one of 65,000 new immigrants who became U.S. citizens in Georgia since 2017.
Sengupta registered to vote through the League of Women Voters, right after her citizenship ceremony. The group has signed up more than 33,000 new immigrant voters over the past three years.