January 6th, 2021, was a day that will forever be remembered for the attack on the Capitol. However, there is a forgotten side to that fateful day. On January 6th, as insurrectionists stormed the senate floors, results from the runoff US Senate elections in Georgia were announced. Democrats won a Senate majority for the first time since 2012, achieving a Democratic trifecta.
In 2016, Republicans won the White House, House of Representatives, and Senate. Just one presidential term later, Democrats have taken back control of what they lost.
The Democratic party’s heroes, Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both come from the state of Georgia, although it has a historical reputation for voting Republican. In the 2020 election, in an unprecedented turnaround, Georgia went blue in both the Presidential and Senate elections. Stacey Abrams, a former Democratic candidate for Georgia’s governor, played a pivotal role in organizing Democratic voter turnout.
Democrats waited two months after victories in the White House and House of Representatives to celebrate their sweep. The Georgia elections in November resulted in a runoff because according to Georgia’s voting laws, a true majority (over 50% of votes) must be obtained for a candidate to declare victory. Neither the race between Jon Ossof and David Perdue nor the one between Raphael Warnock and Kelly Loeffler resulted in a winning candidate. The runoffs on January 5th would determine the fate of the Senate for the coming two years.
After a strenuous and exciting campaign, both candidates flipped their respective seats. Jon Ossoff won with a 50.6% majority and Warnock with a 51.0% majority. These victories give the seats in the senate a 50/50 split between Democrats and Republicans, making Vice President Kamala Harris the tie-breaking vote.
The two months between the general elections and runoffs provided ample opportunity for Ossoff and Warnock to continue campaigning together. The two candidates, in partnership with Stacey Abrams and other organizers, increased the Black voter turnout. In a runoff election in 2018, Black voters were estimated to have compiled 28.6% of voters. In 2021, that number increased to 30.7%. If this hadn’t happened, the Senate would likely be in Republican control.
Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both bring diversity to the Senate floor. Jon Ossoff is the first Jewish Georgian senator ever, and the first Southern Jewish senator since the late 1800s. Reverend Raphael Warnock became the first Black individual to serve as a senator from Georgia. Warnock also carries the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis, both of whom were closely involved with the Ebenezer Baptist Church, at which Warnock is a pastor.
Georgia’s 2020 election results have proven the importance of voter registration, grass-roots organization, and turnout. Without organizers like Stacey Abrams, the Senate would not have flipped, and Democrats would have little ability to enact change during this term. Now there are some interesting questions to look for as future elections occur. What will come from Georgia and other historically red states in the future? How will Republicans react in the 2022 elections? Will this Democratic dominance be maintained? It will be essential to follow the actions of nationwide organizers and coalitions in the coming years.
