Big names descend on Georgia as runoff heats up

With less than two weeks before early voting is set to begin in Georgia's high-stakes Senate runoff elections, the candidates are ratcheting up their campaigns… looking to motivate voters to rush to the polls.

OSSOFF: "And especially young people here in Georgia - make a plan to vote."

WARNOCK: "We have the coalition. If we show up, we win."

Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock on Friday took part in a virtual 'Get out the Vote' rally with former President Barack Obama… who stressed the importance of Georgia's upcoming election - not just for the state, but for the entire country.

That's because if Republicans win either race, they will keep their majority in the Senate... giving them power to block most of President-elect Joe Biden's policy priorities.

OBAMA: "The special election in Georgia is going to determine, ultimately, the course of the Biden presidency..."

On the other side of the aisle, Republican Senator David Perdue told supporters that keeping control of the Senate was key to thwarting what he said were priorities for Democratic leader Chuck Schumer:

"And here's what's coming - he's going to pack the court, he's going to add democratic seats to the senate, he's going to get rid of the Electoral College…"

But - as President Donald Trump continues to repeat baseless claims about fraud and corrupted voting machines in Georgia, he's put Republican leaders in the awkward position of asking people to vote while supporting Trump's claim that the system is rigged.

PENCE: "I know we've all got our doubts about the last election... My fellow Americans, if you don't vote, they win."

And despite Trump's attacks on mail-in voting, Vice President Mike Pence on Friday said that, actually, absentee voting is fine now.

"We're on them this time. We're watching. We're going to secure our polls. We're going to secure our drop boxes. So get an absentee ballot and vote, and vote today."

President Trump's campaign on Friday said it filed a lawsuit in Georgia seeking to invalidate the presidential election results there.

Trump, who has previously attacked Georgia's Republican governor and Secretary of State for not helping him overturn the election results, is scheduled to hold a rally on Saturday in Georgia, where Republicans hope he will urge his base to vote for Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

But they worry Trump's repeated attacks on Georgia Republicans over his election loss could prompt his base to stay home.