On Dec. 6, Georgia faces its second U.S. Senate runoff election in two years, and the political outcome will be of enormous consequence. In the previous 2020-2021 runoff, two Democrats, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, defeated their Republican opponents, incumbent Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. Their election led to Democratic control of the Senate. This time around, Warnock, the incumbent, is being challenged by Republican Herschel Walker. Although the Democrats have succeeded in obtaining 50 seats, the runoff still has major implications in how and what Senate decisions will be made. A majority of 51 for the Democrats rather than a 50-50 split can change the composition of Senate committees, influence negotiations within the Democratic caucus over particular votes, and create a little breathing space for unforeseen circumstances such as the death or retirement of a senator.
