Following the declaration of President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump, many eyes of the political landscape turned to Georgia’s Senate election. Hidden among the chaos that was November 6, 2020, many states not only voted for the President but also for their Senators and Representatives in Congress.
Following election night, almost every state was able to announce their winners soon after the votes were counted, all except Georgia. Georgia has a special rule in place that says a Senate candidate must win with at least 50%+1 of the vote in the state. If this fails to happen then the top two candidates will then move on to a runoff election where the winner will take the Senate seat. Georgia had two Senate seats up for reelection as Senator David Perdue’s term had expired, and one following the resignation of Senator Johnny Isakson. On January 6, both races were officially called, Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock beat out Republican Kelly Loeffler for Isakson’s seat and Democrat Jon Ossof beat incumbent Republican David Perdue.
These results are key looking forward to the state of the Federal Government in the first two years of Biden’s presidency. With the double Democratic victory in Georgia, both chambers of Congress hold a Democratic majority. In the Nancy Pelosi led house Democrats lead 222-211. In the Senate, there is a 50-50 split, but the Vice President, Kamala Harris, will break ties for the Democrats. This means Democrats will likely be able to get a lot of bills passed in both houses without the need to pass through a chamber held by the opposing party. This being said we can likely expect a slew of bills being passed within the first two years of the Biden presidency as he looks to utilize this majority to his advantage.
One thing is uncertain, however, could the progressive wing of the Democratic party attempt to use this majority to swing the democratic platform to the left by withholding their support unless their wants are met? Only time will tell. Democrats have full control of the federal government for the first time since the 111th Congress in 2009 following President Obama’s historic rise to the presidency.
The Hilltopper 