Washington, D.C. — The balance of the United States Senate will be decided today in the Georgia runoff election.
The current makeup of the Senate sits at 50 Republicans and 48 Democrats. The last two seats are still up for grabs in Georgia, with the runoff election set for tonight.
If Democrat candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff both win tonight, the split will be even between Republicans and Democrats. That means that the Vice President of the United States (who serves as the President of the Senate) is the tiebreaker on who gets the majority. In this instance, Kamala Harris would become the tiebreaker, making her one of the country’s most powerful people.
If Democrats take both seats, the Democratic Party will control the House, the Senate, and the White House, a “blank check” government. The last time Democrats controlled all three houses was from 2009-2011. This was the era in which Democrats were able to pass Obamacare.
The Republicans in the race are Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. Loeffler has been serving in the United States Senate since last January when she was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp to replace Senator Johnny Isakson. Isakson resigned for health reasons.
Perdue is also an incumbent. Perdue, who has worked in high-level positions for companies such as Reebok and Dollar General, first took office in 2015.
Raphael Warnock, a self-described “pro-choice pastor,” is a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, which at one point was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served. Warnock is an outspoken advocate for gun control and socialist healthcare. He faces Kelly Loeffler.
The other Democrat, Jon Ossoff, is a former investigative journalist. He now serves as a perennial Democrat candidate. He first ran for office in the 2017 Georgia special election against Karen Handel, who narrowly won in an expensive race. Ossoff is now trying again, but this time for the Senate against Perdue.
Celebrities and other Democrat activists from all over the country are filing in behind Warnock and Ossoff, pouring in millions of dollars. This Georgia runoff is becoming one of the most expensive elections in United States history.
Polls show that the race will be razor-thin, and the final results may not even be known until later this week. Both the Republicans and Democrats in the race have campaigned side by side, making it likely that the results will be either all Republican or all Democrat. Complete Democrat control is on the line, with Georgia being the final factor left up for grabs.
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