Harris says ‘everything is at stake’ in Georgia’s twin Senate runoff elections

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Campaigning in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoffs  Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday emphasized that 2020 isn’t over until Jan. 5.

That’s the date of the state’s twin Senate elections, which will determine if the Republicans hold on to their majority in the chamber, or if the Democrats control both houses of Congress as well as the White House.

ONE-FIFTH OF GEORGIA VOTERS HAVE ALREADY CAST BALLOTS IN THE STATE'S TWIN SENATE RUNOFFS

Harris, headlining a drive-in rally in Columbus, a mid-size city about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta, alongside Democratic Senate nominees Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, noted that "2020 has been rough" due to the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic recession.

"People keep making jokes about 2020 like ‘we want this thing to be over,’" she said. But she spotlighted that "2020 ain’t over until January 5. That’s when 2020 will be over."

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris campaigns for Democratic U.S. Senate challengers the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, in Columbus, Ga. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

The trip to Georgia was the first for Harris since the Democratic ticket won the election and she made history as the first woman and first Black American and Asian American elected vice president. President-elect Joe Biden and Harris narrowly edged President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the state, becoming the first Democratic running mates to carry the state in more than a quarter-century.

Harris said that she came to Georgia "to thank you all on behalf of Joe Biden and myself for doing what you did in November. Because you did what no one thought could be done."

And she added that "of course no good thank you comes without asking for a little bit more."

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING IN GEORGIA'S TWIN SENATE SHOWDOWNS

The vice president-elect emphasized that "everything is at stake" in the runoff contests. "Everything that was at stake in November is at stake leading up to Jan. 5."

Harris, along with Ossoff and Warnock, highlighted the need to help working and middle class families, stimulate the economy and recover from the pandemic, as well as address health care, criminal justice reform, and more. She stressed that "changing the balance in the United States Senate, which is what this election will do, will make all the difference."

"We need the votes in the Senate. We need Jon and Raphael there," she emphasized.

Harris was supposed to make a second stop during her Georgia campaign swing, but the senator from California’s trip was shortened as she needed to return to the nation’s capital to vote on a major compromise agreement on coronavirus pandemic relief and funding the federal government.

"I gotta go back. I’m voting on that COVID package tonight in DC," Harris told the crowd. "And I will be voting for it."

But hours earlier, Ossoff criticized the bipartisan package for including stimulus checks of $600 per person, which many Democrats have argued is inadequate.

"It’s been 8 months. $600? Really?" tweeted Ossoff, who's repeatedly criticized Republican Sen. David Perdue on the issue of COVID relief.

Perdue camapign communications director John Burke responded, saying "if anyone is wondering just how shamelessly partisan Jon Ossoff is, consider that he is criticizing a COVID relief package while literally sharing the stage" with Harris, who emphasized she'll vote for the measure.

The trip by the vice president-elect to Georgia comes less than a week after Biden campaigned with Ossoff and Warnock in Atlanta.

Trump stumped in the state earlier this month, holding a large rally with Pedue and fellow Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in Valdosta. Vice President Mike Pence campaigned with Perdue and Loeffler in Columbus and Macon on Friday, in his fourth campaign visit to Georgia since the kickoff of the runoff campaigns last month.

A bunch of other potential Republican 2024 presidential contenders have also flocked to Georgia over the past six weeks, to try and keep the Senate in GOP hands. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley descended on the state this past weekend.

And two of the president’s children, who may have political aspirations in the future, are also headed Georgia. Donald Trump Jr. campaigned in the state over the weekend and Ivanka Trump was in Georgia on Monday.

Fox News' Madeleine Rivera contributed to this story