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Senate Democrats just picked one more vote. This is what it means: NPR


Thanks to the recent victory of incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock, Democrats now control the Senate by a score of 51-49 — one vote more than they have since 2020.

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Thanks to the recent victory of incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock, Democrats now control the Senate by a score of 51-49 — one vote more than they have since 2020.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock’s victory in the Georgia Senate election could have far-reaching legislative and political consequences for the Democratic Party.

“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 four short weeks following a controversial election. No candidate received more than 50%, which pushed the race to a close.

Between the general election and the knockout round, this race is most expensive in the 2022 election cycle with approximately $425 million spent between campaigns and external groups supporting them.

Although the result only extended the Democratic majority by one, from 50-50 to 51-49, the party leadership and interest groups spent the money they did because they clearly saw it as extreme. importance.

Warnock’s victory now gives Democrats solid control of the Senate and makes their lives easier in a number of ways. It gives them a stepping stone in trying to pass bills, ensures committee control, and removes procedural barriers to doing the Senate’s job.

Here’s another way a two-seat majority can make a big difference for Senate Democrats:

Avoid power-sharing negotiations

For Schumer, Warnock’s victory means he doesn’t have to renegotiate a power-sharing deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

In 2020, Schumer and McConnell settled on an agreement to share power in the equally divided room after an initial stalemate stalled confirmation of President Biden’s cabinet candidates.

At the time, McConnell insisted that Democrats maintain the Senate drama that requires 60 members — rather than a simple majority — to end the debate on the floor before moving on to the vote.

McConnell only dropped his request after moderate Democrats Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia said they would not vote to undercut the provision, leaving Schumer with the 51 votes needed to make it happen. destroy the protection of the minority party.

Without McConnell’s surrender, the chamber would have been paralyzed, with Senate Democrats unable to take full control despite having a majority.

There is no “veto” power of a senator

Democrats now have enough room to lose a vote in their caucus and still move bills through the chamber without issue.

Vice President Kamala Harris not only has the ability not to call for an equal number of votes, but the extra seat has also changed the way they include Joe Manchin in their political calculus.

West Virginia moderates often took their party hostage in the early years of Biden’s term, taking advantage of the narrow Democratic majority to undercut some of the president’s legislative priorities over votes. needs the full unity of the Democratic Party to pass. Manchin often finds it uncomfortable to vote against the will of his constituents.

“I’ve always said, ‘If I can’t go home and explain it, I can’t vote for it,'” Manchin wrote in a 2021 article. statement explains his opposition to the Biden Better Rebuilding Act as it was originally put forward.

Although the bill was finally passed in November of that year, Manchin was forced to negotiate to reduce its size, scope and cost.

Establishing a decision committee

Because the current power-sharing agreement divides Senate committees equally, equal votes must go through an additional vote on the Senate floor in order to pass bills or candidates.

But Warnock’s victory means Democrats are likely to get an extra seat on every committee, opening an open road as Senators frequently break the party line.

“With 51, we can be bolder and faster — to show Americans what the Democrats stand for,” Schumer said.

However, the next two years in Congress will likely be different from the previous two. Republicans have won a majority in the House and with that, undermined the Democrats’ potential to pass important legislation.

As a result, the party will likely look to confirm as many judges as possible before 2024, and the 51st seat also makes that easier. One rule change introduce in 2013 by former Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid only allowing a simple majority for these assertions.

Warnock’s pre-election speech, President Biden is forthright forecast What the 51st seat means for his party. “It will always be better with 51,” he said, primarily considering the possibility of a commission.

But committees aside, Warnock’s victory gives Democrats a clear path to action for the final years of Biden’s term.

“It’s simply better,” the President then continued. “The bigger the number, the better.”

And every one of those seats will matter if Democrats have any hope of holding onto the Senate after 2024. The party faces a difficult backdrop to keep control of the room for two years with Party members. The incumbent Senate Democrat will run for re-election in places like West Virginia, Montana and Ohio, all Republican-leaning states.

Domenico Montanaro contributed to this report

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