Democrat Raphael Warnock celebrated defeating Kelly Loeffler in one of the Georgia runoff elections on Tuesday (January 5). While Democrat Jon Ossoff declared victory in the other race against David Perdue, the race remains too close to call, with a slim margin of 50.19% to 49.81%. Under Georgia law, a candidate can request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5%; the gap early Wednesday was at 0.4%. The remaining uncounted ballots were from the Atlanta and Savannah regions, where Democrats have significant majorities.
Ossoff released a statement on Wednesday, which read, "I am honored, honored by your support, by your confidence, by your trust and I will look forward to serving you in the United States Senate with integrity, with humility, with honor and getting things done for the people of Georgia."
If Ossoff is declared the winner of his race, it would mean that Democrats have won control of the Senate, ending six years of Republican Senate control under Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. While Democrats and Republicans tie with 50 seats in the chamber, incoming vice president Kamala Harris would cast the tie-breaking vote, leading Democrats to take control. With Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress as well as the White House, Joe Biden will have a better chance of carrying out his agenda.
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York is expected to take over as majority leader, and he commented on the possibility of the Democratic party holding a level of power that hasn't been seen since Obama was in office in 2011. Schumer stated, "It feels like a brand new day. For the first time in six years, Democrats will operate a majority in the United States Senate -— and that will be very good for the American people." Schumer also promised that "help is on the way" amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: LA Times
