No opponent, no problem.
Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff blasted U.S. Sen David Perdue (R-Ga.) for failing to show up at their debate in Atlanta Sunday, calling him a “coward” who displayed “astonishing arrogance.”
Perdue said last month he would not participate, so Ossoff turned their scheduled showdown into a one-man show. The two are vying for one of the two U.S. Senate seats up for grabs in Georgia’s Jan. 5 runoff election.
Ossoff accused the absent incumbent of downplaying the coronavirus.
“The reason that we are losing thousands of people per day to this virus is because of the arrogance of politicians like David Perdue,” Ossoff said. “So arrogant that he disregarded public health expertise and so arrogant that he’s not with us here today to answer questions. It shows an astonishing arrogance and sense of entitlement for Georgia’s senior U.S. senator to believe he shouldn’t have to debate at a moment like this in our history.”
Ossoff also accused the incumbent of ducking the debate to avoid explaining stock trades he made after receiving private briefings about the coronavirus pandemic.
Ossoff called it “a strange situation to be asking a question of a sitting United States senator who is not here to debate, as he asks for the votes of the people to be reelected.”
He said Perdue perhaps didn’t feel he could handle himself in debate or perhaps is concerned he may “incriminate himself.”
Ossoff said Perdue could have answered questions “if the senator were not too much of a coward.”
Perdue’s campaign said Ossoff “lost the debate against himself,” 11 Alive reported.
Ossoff called Perdue “a crook” in an exchange that went viral from a previous debate.