(CNN) — Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock will win the Georgia Senate runoff, CNN projects, allowing Democrats to win a 51-49 majority over Republicans in that chamber.
Democrats would have significant governing advantages compared to the current 50-50 split in the Senate, allowing a power-sharing agreement to give Republicans considerable leverage over Democrats despite being in the minority.
Democrats would have a majority in each committee, allowing them to process legislation and nominations much faster
Democrats would also enjoy a larger staff and budget, giving them greater ability to carry out the commission’s work.
Currently, the committees are evenly split as to resources, allowing Republicans to slow down the candidates they oppose.
When elections deadlock on a committee, Democrats must take time-consuming steps to remove that person from the committee and allow a floor vote.
In one case earlier this year, Republicans used Banking Commission rules to block voting by boycotting commission sessions, ultimately forcing President Joe Biden to withdraw the Fed’s nominee.
Tuesday’s result will also free up additional time for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to use with other candidates and the Democratic primary.
Democrats will have more power to issue subpoenas
He would no longer need bipartisan support to issue subpoenas to overcome GOP opposition to the use of these key tools.
This could increase the power and number of investigations led by Democrats.
Centrist Democrats may not have as much power over the Democratic agenda
A two-seat majority margin gives Schumer more leeway to pass legislation without needing the support of everyone in her caucus, such as West Virginia Sen. Used overwhelming power in a 50-50 divided Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
A vacancy on the Supreme Court may be easier to fill
The two-seat margin could also be significant if a Supreme Court vacancy were to open, as it only requires a majority to confirm a justice to that position, leaving Schumer with one vote.
The vote of the Vice President will no longer be so important
Democrats won’t have to rely heavily on Vice President Kamala Harris to break tie votes on the nomination and legislation, something she has done 26 times so far in the current Senate, the most for any vice president in modern times.
CNN’s Shania Shelton contributed to this report.
