LIVE UPDATES: Mike Pence campaigns in Georgia for GOP Senate runoff candidates

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Pence heads to Georgia to whip up GOP support ahead of runoffs

Republicans and Democrats focus on Peach State political strategy; Steve Harrigan reports.

Vice President Mike Pence flew to Georgia on Friday to campaign for Republican U.S. Senate incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who both face runoff elections Jan. 5 against Democratic challengers.

The runoffs, which were triggered when no candidate won a majority of the vote in two Senate elections in the Peach State on Nov. 3, will determine which party holds the majority in the Senate when the next Congress convenes. 

In Canton, Ga., the first of two stops Pence and the two GOP senators made on a bus swing through the northern outreaches of a sprawling metropolitan Atlanta, the vice president announced that “I’m here because President Trump and I stand with Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.”

And Pence repeatedly highlighted how Perdue and Loeffler have supported the president’s agenda.

The current balance of power for the next Senate coming out of this month’s elections is 50 Republicans and 46 Democrats -- plus two independents who caucus with the Democrats. That means Democrats must win both of Georgia’s runoff elections to make it a 50-50 Senate. If that occurs, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tie-breaking vote, giving her party a razor-thin majority in the chamber.

Follow below for the latest updates on the Georgia runoffs. Mobile users click here.