In a closely-watched race, Democrats officially took control of the Senate on Wednesday following the Georgia runoff election wins of Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock in razor-thin margins. 

These victories give Democrats control of both Congress and the White House for the first time since 2011, seeing a 50-50 party split in the Senate which gives Democratic Vice President-elect Kamala Harris power to be the tiebreaker vote. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York will now control the Senate floor, rather than Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky who has been cited as blocking many left-party legislative ambitions. 

Not only are the elections of Ossoff and Rev. Warnock historic (Ossoff is now the youngest member of the Senate, as well as the first Jewish senator from Georgia, while Rev. Warnock is the first Black Democrat from a Southern state elected to the Senate), but they also have swift implications and impacts for Biden’s administration.

With Democratic control of the Senate, Biden will have more leeway on what he can do in office. The victory gives the Democratic party legislative control, which some speculate could result in $2,000 stimulus checks, a focal point of recent Democratic campaigns, especially in the Georgia races

“If you send Jon [Ossoff] and the reverend [Warnock] to Washington, those $2,000 checks will go out the door, restoring hope and decency for so many people who are struggling right now,” said Biden at a campaign earlier this week in Atlanta, remarking on the pivotal race in Georgia which would determine the stimulus check amount.

A Democratic Senate majority also means that Biden will have the freedom to fill his cabinet posts and appoint administration positions without heavy pushback or Republican interference, as the Senate is likely to confirm the judges Biden nominates. 

Moreover, the likelihood of the filibuster lasting is currently favorable, meaning that a simple 60 vote majority will allow many things (including budget procedure) to pass, especially if moderate Republicans are willing to cede certain policy areas. 

With power in the Congress and White House, Democrats will now also take charge of running committees, including those of politically-motivated investigations on voter fraud and Hunter Biden as well as initiatives leading to climate change reforms. 

The wins of Ossoff and Warnock are remarkable not only nationally, but on a smaller scale, too. It is clear now that Georgia is officially becoming a blue state—it’s been 20 years since a Democrat last won a Senate seat in the state, and until now, Republican nominees had never lost the run-off elections.