Biden appears in campaign ad for Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock

President-elect Joe Biden urged Georgians to vote for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in a campaign ad released Thursday, saying he needed the two Democrats in the Senate to pass legislation providing economic relief to Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The ad is the latest example of the heightened focus on the two Senate runoff races in Georgia, which will determine which party controls the Senate and will affect the kind of legislation Biden would be able to pass through the chamber as President.

Biden, who won the state in the presidential election, said he was prepared to sign a Covid-19 relief package on his first day in office that “fully funds the public health response needed,” ensures free Covid testing and vaccinations for all Americans and provides economic support to small businesses.

“Let me be clear: I need Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the United States Senate to get this done. There are folks in Congress threatening to do everything in their power to block our efforts,” Biden said.

Republicans currently control the Senate, but if Ossoff and Warnock both win their runoff elections, the chamber would be tied 50-50 and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be able to act as a tie-breaking vote, therefore giving control to Democrats.

Ossoff and Warnock are challenging incumbent Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Early voting began on Monday in Georgia, and the election is taking place on January 5.

“Georgia, I know things are tough right now, but I want you to know help is on the way,” Biden said.

The President-elect traveled to Atlanta earlier this week to campaign for Ossoff and Warnock.

At the drive-in rally, Biden slammed Georgia’s Republican senators for siding with President Donald Trump in his efforts to undo the election results in Georgia. Biden was referring to a Texas lawsuit seeking to throw out Georgia and other swing states’ election results. The legal effort was broadly backed by Republicans but rejected last week by the Supreme Court.

Earlier this month, Georgia recertified its presidential election results, and again found Biden as the winner following three counts of ballots. The Electoral College certified Biden’s win in the presidential election this week.