Democratic lawmakers no longer rely on the Georgia runoff to take majority control of the Senate after Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto's win against Adam Laxalt, but Sen. Raphael Warnock winning will give the left a one-seat cushion when breaking deadlocks.
Warnock winning against Sen. Herschel Walker would ease Democrats' control of committees and processes such as confirming judges that currently require extra steps to overcome the even 50-50 split or if it would require another term of Vice President Kamala Harris making her tie-breaking vote.
Georgia Runoff
Despite the majority control of the Senate no longer hanging in the balance, both Democrats and Republicans agree that the Georgia runoff remains a crucial part of the midterm elections. During a campaign stop on Sunday, Warnock congratulated his colleagues but noted that their message was the same.
This was because the election was about who was ready and fit to serve the people of Georgia in the United States Senate. Warnock argued that it was a race about competence and character, both which he said that there was a world of difference between him and Walker, as per ABC News.
On Sunday, during a campaign stop in Peachtree City, Walker did not mention the balance within the Senate and focused on his political battle against Warnock and his personal choice to launch a campaign.
The Republican senator said that he never thought of going into politics but said that the Lord prepared him so that he could protect his family, referring to the people of the United States. His remarks come as Democrats celebrated their political victories over the weekend.
According to CNN, having a 51-49 majority would also allow Democrats to enjoy bigger staffs and budgets, which in turn, would give them more ability to carry out committee work. When a choice deadlocks in the committee, the left takes time-consuming steps to discharge a nominee from the committee and allow a floor vote.
More than a Majority
In one example earlier this year, the GOP used Banking Committee rules to prevent a vote from starting by boycotting in mass committee sessions. The situation ultimately led United States President Joe Biden to withdraw a nominee for the Federal Reserve. The extra cushion would also give more floor time for Senate Majority Chuck Schumer to use toward other nominees and Democratic priorities.
Furthermore, if Warnock wins, Democrats will have stronger power to issue subpoenas and would no longer need bipartisan support to issue them. This could increase the power and number of investigations led by Democratic lawmakers.
Voters in Georgia faced rain and some long lines as both parties worked overtime to urge people to hand in their votes for the second time in as many months. The runoff was triggered by state law because neither Warnock nor Walker won an outright majority in the November election.
Democrats are extremely confident that Warnock will win because of a massive spending advantage and because Democrats opted to vote early. In a record-breaking moment, 1.85 million ballots have already been cast in the runoff, NBC News reported.
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