Republican Senator David Perdue of Georgia has to quarantine days before the all-important runoff race for his seat
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- The Republican Senator David Perdue has been forced to go into quarantine after coming into contact with a person who has COVID-19, his campaign said.
- Perdue will have to step back from the closely fought race against Democrat Jon Ossoff, only days from the election on January 5.
- The Georgia contest outcome where Sen.Kelly Loeffler will also face off against Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock will decide which party controls the Senate.
- If Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock both win, Democrats will control the legislative and executive branches, allowing for Joe Biden to more easily accomplish his legislative goals.
- A newly released poll from JMC Analytics and Polling found Warnock and Ossoff leading over Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue as early votes are cast.
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Georgia's Republican Senator David Perdue has been forced to go into quarantine after being exposed to someone with COVID-19, his campaign has said.
The senator will have to step back from the all-important election battle, just days from the election on Tuesday, January 5.
On behalf of the 71-year-old his campaign said, in a statement issued on Thursday: "This morning, Senator Perdue was notified that he came into close contact with someone on the campaign who tested positive for COVID-19.
"Both Senator Perdue and his wife tested negative today, but following his doctor's recommendations and in accordance with CDC guidelines, they will quarantine. The Senator and his wife have been tested regularly throughout the campaign, and the team will continue to follow CDC guidelines."
The announcement came 30 minutes before Perdue was due to speak at a campaign event in Gainsville, alongside Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, CNN reported.
—Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) December 31, 2020
Battle for control of the Senate
The outcome of the Georgia contest where Sen.Kelly Loeffler will also faceoff against Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock will decide which party controls the Senate.
If Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock both win, Democrats will control the legislative and executive branches, allowing for Joe Biden to more easily accomplish his legislative goals.
On Wednesday, Insider reported that a newly released runoff poll found that the Democratic candidates were widening their leads.
The JMC poll, conducted with 500 respondents on Monday and Tuesday, found Ossoff ahead of Perdue 50% to 43%, or 7 points, with 7% of respondents saying they were undecided.
The divide between Warnock and Loeffler in the poll was even larger: Warnock was ahead 53% to 44%, or 9 points, with 3% of respondents saying they were undecided.
JMC is one of just a handful of pollsters participating in the Senate runoffs - many of the most recognized and reputable pollsters have not conducted any polls since the general election in November.
A recent survey conducted by SurveyUSA found Ossoff with a 5-percentage-point lead and Warnock with a 7-point lead. And according to FiveThirtyEight's polling tracker, the margin of support has steadily increased for the Democratic candidates in polls conducted since the general election on November 3.
Nick Gourevitch, a Democratic pollster with Global Strategy Group, recently told Politico that trusting the accuracy of polls in Georgia following the tumultuous presidential polling would be a mistake.
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