On the night of January 5, 2021, the nation’s eyes were set on Georgia. Two Senate seats—and the senate majority—were on the line. Early the next morning, Democrat Reverend Rapahel Warnock defeated incumbent Kelly Loeffler for one of the seats. 

Wednesday afternoon, amid the chaos on Capitol Hill, the second race was called, with Democrat Jon Ossoff coming out victorious against incumbent Republican David Perdue.  

Ossoff’s win clinched a 50–50 tie in the Senate, which leans Democratic since Vice President–Elect Kamala Harris will be the tiebreaker, giving the Democrats a majority of 51-50 in the Senate for the first time since the 113th Congress. This victory will have a major impact on what President-Elect Joe Biden can accomplish on agenda over the next two years.  

The Democrats now have more seats than Republicans in both the House and Senate, as well as Biden in the White House. This is called a government trifecta, and gives Democrats the advantage in two of the three branches of government. Democrats hold a slim majority in the House and the aforementioned 50-50 tie in the Senate.  

With majorities in the House and Senate—plus Biden in office—Democrats have the opportunity to pass legislation that was not enacted under President Donald Trump’s administration. These efforts include stronger COVID-19 regulations, stricter climate change protocols, taxes, and healthcare. 

As significant as these changes will be, it is also important to note the historic nature of these victories. In November, Georgia’s Senate seats were up for election. There is a law in Georgia that if no candidate receives above 50 percent of the votes, there is a runoff election at a later date. The November 3 election did not see any candidate receive over 50%, thus initiating the two runoffs.  

This election was historic as an African American man and a Jewish man won Georgia’s senate seats, both of whom are Democrats in what has been a traditionally Republican represented state. Warnock is the 11th African American in the Senate and Ossoff is the first Jewish senator from Georgia. Georgia has been considered a deep Republican state for the last 20 years. However, in part due to the diversity of individuals that voted in the runoffs, Georgia elected 2 Democratic senators. 

This election made clear that if you care about something, standing up for it can make a difference. 

For example, Stacey Abrams and other Democrats in Georgia started the Fair Fight program to help African Americans and other minorities cast ballots for change. This election served to let America hear their voices.