By MIAH STRINGER
Staff Writer
Joseph R. Biden, the president-elect, has made it clear of his plans to change the course of Covid-19 in America, change the way America taxes the rich, and enact many other progressive policies in America. Right now, the runoff elections in Georgia that are set for this January will determine how much power Joe Biden will have in carrying out his political agenda. In Georgia, candidates must receive a majority of the vote to win an election. If no candidate breaks 50 percent, the top two vote-getters then face off again in a runoff election to determine the winner. If the Republicans win the two senate seats that are up for grabs, they will have a majority, which will not make it easy for the Biden administration to enact the policy that he would like to. However, if the two senate seats go to the Democrats, it will put the Senate at a 50-50 split. If there is a tie on a bill, the vice president, who will be Kamala Harris, will break the tie.
The first Georgia Senate race designated as a runoff will feature Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to her seat earlier this year, against Raphael Warnock, an Democrativ African American pastor from Atlanta. In the second race, Republican Sen. David Perdue will face Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. In the following weeks, tens of millions of dollars will be poured into the campaigns and enormous national attention will be focused on Georgia.
In recent years, Georgia has been red. However, when looking at the runoff elections of 2008, it shows that there is a chance that Georgia’s senate seats will turn blue. The runoff election will likely come down to the voter turnout, and the Democrats are doing everything in their power to get these 2 seats.
In the House of Representatives, it is projected that the Democrats will have the majority, by a very slim and comparatively smaller margin. In order for Joe Biden to enact the policies he has planned, he will need almost all of his party to be on board. With the increased polarization of Congress, it will be very difficult for Congress to enact legislation with such a small margin. But, losing the Senate only makes it more difficult for Joe Biden.