Sarah Riggs Amico, a Democratic candidate for the Georgia Senate, expressed confidence about her chances against incumbent Sen. David Perdue (R), saying the state could play a pivotal role in whether Democrats take back the Senate in the 2020 elections.
Amico, who previously ran for lieutenant governor as Stacey Abrams’s running mate, told Hill.TV that Democrats’ potential take back of the Senate could very well come from the two Senate races in Georgia next year.
“I got a 1.8 million [votes] in my first run ever from office last year,” Amico said in reference to her unsuccessful bid against Republican Geoff Duncan. “That’s 400,000 more votes than David Perdue’s ever gotten.”
“With that kind of momentum and all the media attention and investment that’s going to be coming into our state, control of the United States Senate will now rest on the state of Georgia,” she added.
Amico, one of four Democrats looking to challenge Perdue, is more optimistic about her chances this election cycle, arguing that locals in the state have “lost faith in the kind of leaders we are sending to Washington.”
She also maintained that she has a slight advantage compared to her rivals, saying that she — as a suburban woman and mother— is the target demographic that candidates in the state are trying to reach.
“I live in West Cobb County Georgia so when you’re talking about suburban women, suburban moms — I am that target demographic,” she told Hill.TV, noting that her county made up one of the largest groups of Republican voters in the state.
“Last year, Stacey Abrams and I won this county by 54 percent.”
Riggs’s comments come after Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) announced last month that he would be retiring at the end of the year, citing health problems.
So far, a handful of names have been floated as a potential replacement, including Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Rep. Doug Collins.
A special election will then be held in November 2020 to fill the seat.
—Tess Bonn
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