Newspaper Page Text
2018 and proved popular not only with stu
dents but faculty and staff members also.
About 1,500 people are expected to vote
early on campus this year.
Students who wish to vote in Athens
should note that the registration deadline is
Oct. 5 and that if they’re registered in their
home county, they must change their reg
istration by that date, request an absentee
ballot or make arrangements to go home to
vote. [BA]
Rival Collins Slams Sen. Loeffler
In less than two months, Georgia voters
will decide whether U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler
deserves a full six-year term. Her main
Republican rival is U.S. Rep. Doug Collins
of Gainesville, who’s hoping to unseat Gov.
Brian Kemp’s appointee and secure a spot
in a likely January runoff.
Collins hopped on a video call with the
UGA College Republicans on Sept. 16,
where he spent the bulk of his time calling
out the “lies” told by Loeffler and fielding
questions from students, which he said
Loeffler is “afraid” to do.
“If I have something to say, I’m going to
say it straight to the camera, unlike Sen.
Loeffler, who chooses to use ads to do her
bidding,” said Collins, who has spent far less
on his campaign than the wealthy business
woman. “There are some lies that have been
told, mainly because, when you’re trying to
hide something, that’s what you do.”
Collins and Loeffler have accused one
another of not being a real conservative.
Collins urged voters to look at his record.
Or better yet, he told the students to ask
prominent Democrats in the House of
Representatives, like Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
as they’ve had to “face me daily in doing
battle against their liberal ideas.”
Collins also railed against Loeffler’s
claim that he’s in cahoots with Democrats,
mentioning one of her campaign ads that
features a picture of Collins with Stacey
Abrams, the Democratic candidate who
ran against Kemp in 2018 and previously
served with Collins in the Georgia House of
Representatives. Bipartisanship is far more
common in the Georgia General Assembly
than in Congress, Collins said. And while
they served in the Georgia House, Collins
said Abrams went across the aisle and voted
for conservative legislation.
“We need to work together and find real
solutions for this country,” Collins said. “I’ll
always do that without compromising my
conservative background. I never have; I
never will. If Democrats want to work with
that, they can come to the table. But I’ll
never sacrifice my conservative values sim
ply to pass legislation.”
Collins then turned the tables and said
Loeffler has donated to Democrats who
support pro-abortion rights and anti-gun
legislation. While Loeffler has made cam
paign contributions to Democrats, either
directly or through the political action
committee for Intercontinental Exchange—
whose CEO is Loeffler’s husband, Jeff
Sprecher—the overwhelming majority of
her contributions went to Republicans.
In response to Loeffler’s attacks on his
anti-abortion record, Collins said she’s try
ing to “smear” his “stellar history of life,”
theorizing it’s to distract voters from an
event in which the WNBA team she owns,
the Atlanta Dream, supported Planned
Parenthood two years ago.
In response to a student’s question,
Collins said he believes students need to be
on campus, albeit while social distancing
with masks. He also said he’s concerned
about the economy, as communities are
too “scared” to reopen businesses amid the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Collins and Loeffler are among 21 can
didates vying for the seat Sen. Johnny
Isakson resigned last January due to health
concerns. All candidates will appear on a
single ballot, which is known as a “jungle
primary.” The most recent poll has Loeffler
up five points over Collins, according to
FivelhirtyEight.
A January 2021 runoff between one
Republican and one Democrat is likely,
Collins said. He said Democrats have told
him they’d rather have Loeffler in the run
off, as “she’s very beatable in this process.”
[TW]
The Democrat in the runoff is likely to be
the Rev. Raphael Warnock—who, inciden
tally, was endorsed by Atlanta Dream play
ers after Loeffler denounced the Black Lives
Matter movement. Warnock is the leading
Democratic candidate in the polls and has
the support of most of the party estab
lishment. The Savannah native and pastor
of Martin Luther King Jr.’s old church,
Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta, recently agreed
to a phone interview with Flagpole.
Warnock criticized Gov. Brian Kemp
and President Trump’s leadership during
the pandemic. “The stumbling we’ve seen
at the state level has been the same as the
stumbling coming out of the White House,”
he said. “At this time, we need leadership
that believes in science and will act with
integrity.” He said Kemp has been “waging
war against local leaders” by blocking more
stringent regulations to slow the spread of
the virus.
In regard to UGA’s waffling on early vot
ing, Warnock said his campaign is pushing
voting by mail, but voters should cast a
ballot in whatever way they feel most com
fortable. “You have to always be on watch
paying attention to something like voter
suppression,” he said.
Warnock also said he’s looking beyond
the pandemic to ways the country can not
only survive, but thrive. He proposed a
“massive” infrastructure package, including
roads, bridges and broadband internet, a
$15 minimum wage, better benefits, equal
pay for women, expanding Medicaid and
adding a public option to the Affordable
Care Act. He is not, however, in favor of
Medicare for all.
Although he’s currently running third
behind Loeffler and Collins, not only did
Warnock express confidence he’ll be in the
runoff, he said he’s hoping to win outright
in November.
The interview took place before the
death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsberg and news that Trump and Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plan to
replace her before the election. [BA] O
Republic
salon
312 E. BROAD ST. • 3RD FLOOR • 706.208.5222 • FRICI DAI RE BUILDING • ENTRANCE ON JACKSON ST. • WWW.REPUBLICSALON.COM
FREE RIDES!
Save Momy 8-Save tAue Pfcmvt. Ride tAue Bua/
TRANSIT
accgov.com/transit
• Fare-free for 2020
• Live bus tracking &
passenger counts
• Frequent sanitation
• Masks required
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
5