国际英语新闻:2nd U.S. Senate race in Georgia headed for runoff, forging showdown for Senate control

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A second U.S. Senate race in southern state Georgia is now headed for a runoff on Jan. 5, forging a showdown for the Senate majority between Republicans and Democrats, NBC News projected on Friday.

Republican Senator David Perdue will not break the 50-percent threshold needed to win outright in general elections and will again face Democrat Jon Ossoff in the runoff, said the report.

Along with the runoff race between Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock, the race will determine control of the Senate.

During the campaign, Perdue, a first-term senator and former business executive, was criticized for his handling of COVID-19, including federal probes into his stock trading around the start of the pandemic in the country.

Meanwhile, Ossoff, a former journalist who lost a tight, high-profile U.S. House special election in 2017, was accused by his Republican rival of pursuing a "radical socialist agenda," according to media reports.

Both Republicans and Democrats are focusing their attention and money on Georgia as it became apparent two runoffs would determine Senate control, said the reports.

Republicans have won 50 U.S. Senate seats so far, multiple U.S. media outlets projected. Democrats have flipped one net seat for a total of 48.

Therefore, if Democrats win both runoffs in Georgia, there will be an even split between the two parties in the 100-seat upper chamber of the next U.S. Congress.

Moreover, given that Democrat Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris declared victory for the U.S. presidential election on Saturday night, Harris would hold a tiebreaking vote in the Senate.

According to tallies by major U.S. media outlets, Democrats have held onto their majority in the House of Representatives by capturing at least 218 seats in the 435-member chamber as of Tuesday.

Biden is currently projected to win the Electoral College by a margin of 306 to 232. Sitting President Donald Trump hasn't conceded and is mounting challenges in court over allegations of voter fraud and counting misconduct.