December 7, 2022
That was projected winner of the Georgia Senate runoff race incumbent Democrat Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock. What does 51 seats in the Senate look like for Democrats and Republicans?
This morning, the Senate Majority Leader was super excited.
Having 51 Senators in his caucus gives Majority Leader Schumer a clear majority, unlike the split 50/50 Senate make up he’s been dealing with since the 2020 election.
Having 51 Democrats and Independents allows Democrats to hold majorities in every committee – that’s important because Democrats will be able to push nominees through the legislative process faster and get legislation out of committee faster. They will have stronger power to issue subpoenas and as I’ve reported before, it dilutes the power of any *one* Senator to slow down legislation.
But the one thing it does not do is give them the super-majority to overcome a Republican filibuster. They still have to get to 60 votes pass legislation.
