Schumer 'not on the ballot' in Georgia Senate race, Democratic candidate says

The high-profiled Senate runoff in Georgia slated for January is "about the people of Georgia" and not the fight to control the Senate, Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock said Sunday.

"This race is not about me," Warnock said on CNN's "State of the Union. "Chuck Schumer's name is certainly not on the ballot."

"I will tell you what is on the ballot," he went on. "Health care is on the ballot — access to affordable health care. We have got 500,000 Georgians in the Medicaid gap. We have got 1.8 million Georgians with preexisting conditions."

Warnock's comments Sunday echoed a larger theme in his continued campaign against appointed GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler. As he and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff — who is in his own runoff with Sen. David Perdue — jostle for seats in the upper chamber, both candidates are redirecting focus from the national stage to Georgia voters and their health care.

The pair of January runoff elections will decide control of the Senate. If Warnock and Ossoff come out on top, Democrats have a 50-50 Senate with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris breaking ties. Should they lose, Democrats are relegated once again to the minority, with a Republican Senate standing in the way of President-elect Joe Biden’s ambitious agenda.

Warnock expressed optimism Sunday at his odds of winning the race.

"I finished first, handily, far ahead of a candidate who is the wealthiest member of Congress, who poured millions of dollars into this race. And we finished in a strong position," Warnock said.

"There is no question in my mind that, as Georgians hear about my commitment to access to affordable health care, the dignity of work, the work I have been doing for years, standing up for ordinary people, we will prevail come Jan. 5."