Perdue, Ossoff face off in 1st Georgia Senate debate

ATLANTA (AP) — Republican Sen. David Perdue of Georgia is facing off against Democrat Jon Ossoff in the first debate of their U.S. Senate race.

Monday afternoon's debate is being held virtually with candidates joining by video conferencing from separate locations. The coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 213,000 people in the U.S., is likely to be front and center.

Ossoff has previously sought to make Perdue's handling of the pandemic a central part of the campaign, accusing him of downplaying the risk of the virus and undermining scientists.

Perdue's campaign has fired back, saying Ossoff is skewing his record and that the senator has helped secure billions of dollars in economic assistance, as well as protective medical gear and drugs for treatment.

While statewide races in Georgia tend to favor Republican candidates, public polling shows a neck-and-neck battle between Perdue and Ossoff. That's led to huge sums of money being spent on advertising by both the candidates and outside groups with a stake in the outcome.

Georgia's other Republican-held U.S. Senate seat is also up for grabs this year, and more than $150 million has been committed to ads in the two races combined, including past spending and future reservations.

Perdue, 70, is a former business executive who is seeking his second term in the Senate. Ossoff, 33, heads a media company that investigates crime and corruption for news organizations.

The debate is taking place the same day that in-person early voting opened in Georgia. Voters in some areas waited several hours to cast a ballot Monday morning.

The Senate Judiciary Committee also began hearings in Washington on President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, opening another potential avenue of contention between...