Welcome back to The Panther’s 2020 Vision Election Blog! Here is your guide to the results of the Georgia Senate Election: 

Recap

In the 2020 Georgia state election, two Senate seats were unusually up for grabs. In the first election, Republican Senator David Perdue ran for re-election in November against Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff. On Nov. 3, Perdue received 49.7% of the votes while Ossoff received 47.9%. As neither one of the candidates received a majority, the election advanced to a runoff. 

In the second senatorial election, Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler ran for election to a full term against Democratic candidate Reverend Raphael Warnock. Appointed to the Senate last year by Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, Loeffler joined the Senate after a seat became open. In November, Loeffler received 25.9% of the votes, while Warnock received 32.9%. Another candidate, Doug Collins, received 20%. Since Loeffler and Warnock received the two highest votes, but not the majority, the election advanced to another runoff. 

Runoff Election Results 

In the Ossoff-Perdue race, Democratic candidate Ossoff defeated incumbent Perdue. He received 50.3% of the vote while Perdue received 49.7%. In the Warnock-Loeffler race, Democratic candidate Warnock won. He received 50.7% while Loeffler received 49.3%. Both Democratic candidates led in urban and suburban counties while Republicans led in urban counties. 

With both Ossoff and Warnock winning these races, the Democrats regained control of the Senate. At the moment, Democrats and Republicans both hold 50 seats. According to the U.S. Constitution, when the Senate elections result in a tie between parties, the Vice President (in this case, Democratic Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris) must cast the tie-breaking vote. With Harris’s vote, the Democrats should undoubtedly regain control of the Senate.

Moreover, with a Democrat-controlled Senate, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York will become the majority leader and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will become the minority leader. In President Joseph Biden’s administration, cabinet appointees are set for confirmation. As for legislation, bills and policies dealing with COVID-19 relief, health care and the environment may have a better chance of materializing now. Although pieces of legislation can get filibustered (meaning senators can speak for as long as they wish on specific policies to delay legislation unless three-fifths of senators sign the legislation), hope for those who support Biden’s agenda exists.