WASHINGTON — With Sen. Raphael Warnock having prevailed in Georgia’s Senate runoff election, for the first time in the history of the direct election of senators, no incumbents who sought reelection lost in either a primary or general election. And the days of the deadlocked Senate are numbered.
Come January, the Democratic caucus will have 51 members, bringing an end to the power-sharing agreement with Republicans that governed Senate operations for the duration of the 117th Congress. With Republicans taking control of the House, there might not be much legislating, but it will be easier for Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., to advance other parts of the agenda.
“It’s amazing how Republicans have been able to use the 50-50 Senate to procedurally hold up so many appointments. It’s going to be a lot quicker, swifter and easier,” Schumer said Wednesday. “It also means that our committee chairs have more flexibility on legislation. The number of times committee chairs came to me and said ‘I’d like to move this bill forward, but in a 10-10 committee, I can’t do it.'”
