2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2020–21 United States Senate election in Georgia

← 2014 November 3, 2020 (first round) January 5, 2021 (runoff) 2026 →

Nominee Jon Ossoff David Perdue Party Democrat Republican First round 2,374,519 47.95% 2,462,617 49.73% Runoff 2,269,738 50.62% 2,214,506 49.38%

First round county results Perdue:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Ossoff:      50–60%      60–70%      80–90%

U.S. Senator before election David Perdue Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff Democratic

An election took place in the U.S. state of Georgia to choose a new Senator. Senators are important leaders who help make laws for the whole country. This election was special because it had two parts. The first part happened on November 3, 2020. The second part, called a "runoff election," happened on January 5, 2021.

The two main candidates in the runoff election were Jon Ossoff from the Democratic Party and David Perdue from the Republican Party. Before the election, David Perdue was already the Senator for Georgia.

Before the main election, there were special elections called primary elections on June 9, 2020. These primaries help each political party choose their best candidate. In the Republican Party, David Perdue was the only candidate, so he automatically became their choice. For the Democratic Party, many people wanted to be the candidate, but Jon Ossoff won the most votes.

In the first round of the main election, neither Jon Ossoff nor David Perdue got more than 50% of the votes. This is why a second election, the runoff, was needed. In the runoff election, Jon Ossoff won and became the new Senator for Georgia.

Choosing Candidates: Primary Elections

Before the main election, political parties hold primary elections. This is how they pick one person to represent their party. Think of it like a team trying out players to see who is the best.

Democratic Party Primary

In the Democratic Party primary, many people wanted to be the candidate for Senator. Voters chose who they thought would be best. Jon Ossoff won this primary election with the most votes. This meant he would be the Democratic Party's candidate in the main election.

County results, Democratic primary

     Ossoff

     Ossoff—60–70%
     Ossoff—50–60%
     Ossoff—40–50%
     Ossoff—30–40%
     Ossoff—<30%

     Ossoff/Riggs Amico tie

     Ossoff/Riggs Amico tie—<30%

     Tomlinson

     Tomlinson—60-70%
     Tomlinson—50-60%
     Tomlinson—40-50%
     Tomlinson—30-40%
     Tomlinson—<30%

     Riggs Amico

     Riggs Amico—30-40%
     Riggs Amico—<30%

     Smith

     Smith—30-40%
     Smith—<30%

     Knox

     Knox—<30%

Republican Party Primary

For the Republican Party, there was only one person running in their primary: David Perdue. Since he was already the Senator, he did not have anyone challenging him from his own party. This meant he automatically became the Republican candidate.

Election Results

The main election had two parts because no candidate won more than half of the votes in the first round.

First Round: November 3, 2020

In the first round, voters chose between David Perdue, Jon Ossoff, and Shane T. Hazel, who was a candidate from the Libertarian Party. David Perdue received the most votes, but he did not get more than 50%. Jon Ossoff came in second. Because neither candidate reached the 50% mark, the top two candidates, Perdue and Ossoff, had to go to a second round.

Second Round: January 5, 2021

The second round, called a runoff election, was held on January 5, 2021. This time, it was just Jon Ossoff and David Perdue competing. In this runoff, Jon Ossoff received more than 50% of the votes. This meant he won the election and became the new Senator for Georgia.

Images for kids

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  Shane Hazel in 2018

See also

In Spanish: Elección al Senado de los Estados Unidos en Georgia de 2020 para niños