After two long years with a divided Congress, House and Senate Democrats are hopeful that the tides may be in their favor this election season. With the House maintaining its democratic majority, it is now up to the Senate to bridge the divide within Congress. Democrats have the chance to tie up the Senate if they win two run-off elections in Georgia. Georgia surprisingly turned blue during the Presidential Election this year, so Democrats are confident in their ability to rid Senate Republicans of their current majority. 

While tying the Senate may not seem like much, it is actually a great attainment. In the case that the Senate is tied, the Vice President has the power to break ties through a singular vote. Because Joe Biden won the US Presidential Election, Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris will have the responsibility of breaking ties in an equally split Senate. Since Harris is a Democrat, it is likely that she will side with Senate Democrats if she must break a tie. This is great news for Democrats because now will be the perfect opportunity to push for more left-leaning legislation, as their bills will have a greater chance of making it to the executive branch. 

The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders are Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer respectively. If the run-off in Georgia results in an equally split Senate, it is likely that Kamala Harris will become the new Senate Majority leader. It has been common practice in history for the Vice President to assume the Senate Majority Leader role in the case of a split Senate. On the other hand, Mitch McConnell will occupy the Senate Minority Leader position. With Kamala Harris serving as the Senate Majority Leader, she will be able to dictate the functioning of the Senate through means such as speeding up or slowing down processing as well as preventing certain bills from reaching the Senate floor and vice versa. 

Since so much is at stake in the runoff elections in Georgia, the Democratic party is working endlessly to raise money, gain endorsements, and create more advertisements to encourage Georgians to vote on January 5th. The future of America is dependent on two Senate seats up for grabs in Georgia. While there is hope to tie the Senate, this runoff will undoubtedly be a close race.