On Tuesday, December 6th the month-long Georgia Senate race finally came to an end when Senator Raphael Warnock (D) defeated Herschel Walker (R). He will return to the Senate after being previously elected in 2021 as the first African American to represent Georgia in the Senate.

With the selection of Senator Walker, the Democrats now have a 51- majority in the senate instead of the previous 50-50 split. While Democrats did have control of the Senate in the 50-50 split, it relied on the vice president’s vote and required power-sharing agreements between the senate party leaders. The Democrats now have the Senate and the executive position while the Republicans only have the House.

With the majority, Democrats will be able to process laws and nominations faster. Without the even split in committees, Republicans will not be able to delay voting on opposing nominees by boycotting committee sessions.

The filibuster rule will stay in place, meaning some debates will be unable to end without a 60-person majority. Decisions like supreme court judges will be able to pass with a simple majority. Finally, a simple majority gives Democrats more room for democratic senators who may break party lines when voting. While the Democrats have gained advantages Republicans still maintain control of the House which will stop Democrats from passing major legislation.

With a total of $425 million spent on campaigns, the election was the most expensive race in 2022 yet.

The turnout for the Georgia runoff election was massive with more than 3.6 million people voting between early voting, absentee ballots, and in-person voting. The numbers of people who voted show the desire for citizens to use their voice and impact the political outcome in the country. Georgia is a state that has gone back and forth between both Democratic and Republican and cast its votes for Democrat Joe Biden by a slim margin in the last presidential election. The swaying Georgia could prove a major factor in the next Presidential election.

All things considered, the question remains if a country divided and dependent on a two-party system will always be best. The Georgia runoff highlights the split ideas of the country and shows that even with a majority, productivity in the government is limited. It also displays that the majority is rather small even when existent. Everyone should be able to have and voice their opinions, but will a lack of cooperation threaten the growth of the country?