Republican US Senate candidate Kelly Loeffler reacts after she enters the runoff against Democratic US Senate candidate Raphael Warnock, in Atlanta, Georgia (REUTERS)
A team of CNN journalists left a rally held by Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler over fears that it would become a coronavirus superspreader event.
CNN correspondent Kyung Lah and her team left the rally Wednesday citing a lack of safety precautions.
Ms Lah explained in a tweet that the rally – which was meant to drive up support for Senator David Perdue in his upcoming runoff election against Democrat John Ossoff – was held in a windowless room and that many of the attendees were not wearing masks, despite recent spikes in Covid-19 infectious throughout the nation.
The tweet contains a photo showing rows of people standing shoulder to shoulder. Few faces are visible, but those that are appear mask-less.
“This is what the ‘Save Our Majority’ rally looks like,” Ms Lah wrote. “Speaking before this crowd in a windowless room, Sens. @marcorubio @kloeffler. Approx 1/3rd to 1/2 of the room is maskless, as Georgia #COVID19 infections enter a red zone.”
The rally – which was held inside a small shopping centre – had to turn people away because it reached the building’s capacity.
“My entire @CNN team has physically left this indoor rally,” Ms Lah wrote. “It’s not safe given the #Covid19 numbers in Georgia. Again, this is the ‘Save our Majority’ rally in Cobb County.”
The winner of the state’s run-off election will determine the majority party in the Senate.
Democrat Raphael Warnock will run against Ms Loeffler in the state’s runoff elections in January.
Both Ms Loeffler and Mr Perdue have called for Brad Raffensperger Georgia’s Secretary of State and a fellow Republican, to resign.
The senators claimed Mr Raffensperger was guilty of “mismanagement and lack of transparency” running the election. Neither senator has provided evidence backing their claims.
The lawmakers were criticised in the media and by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for undermining the public’s faith in American democracy.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published its editorial above its masthead on Monday and accused the lawmakers of having “assaulted Georgia’s election system.”
“That is dangerous behavior, both for this state and for the nation. Speaking on the record, Perdue and Loeffler offered no specifics,” the editorial stated.
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