Posted on Dec 7, 2022
Why Warnock's seat means so much to Senate Democrats
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https://www.npr.org/2022/12/07/ [login to see] /why-warnocks-seat-means-so-much-to-senate-democrats
Incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock's win in the Georgia Senate runoff could have far-reaching consequences legislatively and politically for Democrats.
"The truth is it's not a 1% difference," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said earlier this week. "It's a world of difference."
Warnock's victory over former NFL and University of Georgia star Herschel Walker came after a shortened four-week runoff following a hotly contested election. Neither candidate got more than 50%, which pushed the race to a runoff.
Between the general election and the runoff, this race was the most expensive of the 2022 election cycle with some $425 million spent between the campaigns and outside groups supporting them.
Even though the result only expands the Democratic majority by one, from 50-50 to 51-49, party leadership and interest groups spent the kind of money they did because they clearly saw it as critically important.
Incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock's win in the Georgia Senate runoff could have far-reaching consequences legislatively and politically for Democrats.
"The truth is it's not a 1% difference," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said earlier this week. "It's a world of difference."
Warnock's victory over former NFL and University of Georgia star Herschel Walker came after a shortened four-week runoff following a hotly contested election. Neither candidate got more than 50%, which pushed the race to a runoff.
Between the general election and the runoff, this race was the most expensive of the 2022 election cycle with some $425 million spent between the campaigns and outside groups supporting them.
Even though the result only expands the Democratic majority by one, from 50-50 to 51-49, party leadership and interest groups spent the kind of money they did because they clearly saw it as critically important.
Why Warnock's seat means so much to Senate Democrats
Posted from npr.org
Democrats
United States Senate
Voting
Elections
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Decisive committee makeup
Because the current power-sharing agreement equally splits the Senate committees, tied votes must undergo an additional vote on the Senate floor to move ahead with bills or nominees.
But Warnock's win means Democrats will likely have an extra seat on every committee, clearing an open path to passage when senators ubiquitously break on party lines.
"With 51, we can go bolder and quicker — to show Americans what Democrats stand for," said Schumer.
Still, the next two years in Congress will likely look different than the last two. Republicans have captured the House majority and with it, waned Democrats' potential to pass major legislation.
As such, the party will likely seek to confirm as many judges as it can before 2024, and a 51st seat makes that easier too. A rules change introduced in 2013 by the former Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid allows just a simple majority for these confirmations.
Speaking ahead of Warnock's election, Biden plainly forecasted what a 51st seat would mean for his party. "It's always better with 51," he said, mostly weighing the potential for committee compositions.
But the committees aside, Warnock's win offers Democrats a clear path for action for the final years of Biden's term.
"It's just simply better," the president later continued. "The bigger the numbers, the better."
And every one of those seats is going to matter if Democrats have any hope of holding onto the Senate beyond 2024. The party faces a difficult landscape to hold onto control of the chamber in two years with incumbent Senate Democrats up for reelection in places like West Virginia, Montana and Ohio, all Republican-leaning states."
..."Decisive committee makeup
Because the current power-sharing agreement equally splits the Senate committees, tied votes must undergo an additional vote on the Senate floor to move ahead with bills or nominees.
But Warnock's win means Democrats will likely have an extra seat on every committee, clearing an open path to passage when senators ubiquitously break on party lines.
"With 51, we can go bolder and quicker — to show Americans what Democrats stand for," said Schumer.
Still, the next two years in Congress will likely look different than the last two. Republicans have captured the House majority and with it, waned Democrats' potential to pass major legislation.
As such, the party will likely seek to confirm as many judges as it can before 2024, and a 51st seat makes that easier too. A rules change introduced in 2013 by the former Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid allows just a simple majority for these confirmations.
Speaking ahead of Warnock's election, Biden plainly forecasted what a 51st seat would mean for his party. "It's always better with 51," he said, mostly weighing the potential for committee compositions.
But the committees aside, Warnock's win offers Democrats a clear path for action for the final years of Biden's term.
"It's just simply better," the president later continued. "The bigger the numbers, the better."
And every one of those seats is going to matter if Democrats have any hope of holding onto the Senate beyond 2024. The party faces a difficult landscape to hold onto control of the chamber in two years with incumbent Senate Democrats up for reelection in places like West Virginia, Montana and Ohio, all Republican-leaning states."
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