What Happened This Week In Washington — And Georgia

It’s way too easy to get ahead of oneself at the moment, but, uh, how much does the narrative of the 2020 election change if Warnock and Ossoff win tonight?

Over the past few days, $600 economic stimulus payments have been hitting millions of Americans’ bank accounts, which is another reminder of a dynamic that roiled this campaign — the debate over whether the stimulus checks were high enough. Trump supported $2,000 payments and even temporarily delayed signing the stimulus bill in an attempt to pressure Congress to increase the payments, but it was Democrats — not Republicans — who tried to turn the $2,000 checks into an winning issue in the runoffs. As Perry wrote last week, public opinion was definitely on Democrats’ side, but it was harder to predict whether it would actually bring more voters into Warnock and Ossoff’s camps. If Warnock and/or Ossoff prevail, though, some Democrats might see it as a sign that they should lean into economic issues come election time.

One person who has to be liking what he’s seeing tonight? West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who — as the most moderate member of the Senate Democratic caucus — would wield tremendous power in a 50-50 Senate.