On January 5, 2021, Georgia will hold two Senate runoff elections. These runoff elections will determine which party controls the Senate. Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are looking to unseat Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. 

If both Democrats are able to win these seats, there would be a 50-50 tie in the Senate, with Vice President-elect Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote. Joe Biden is going to need a Democratic Senate if he wants to follow through on COVID-19 relief, gun reform, healthcare reform, criminal justice reform, and much more. If the Republicans win either seat, they will retain control of the Senate. This means that Mitch McConnell will most likely give Biden a hard time passing legislation just like he did with the Obama administration. Despite Georgia traditionally being a Republican-leaning state, Democrats have reasons for hope due to the fact that Joe Biden won Georgia in November. With the work of Stacey Abrams and others, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock have a great chance of winning their elections. If elected, Raphael Warnock would be the first African-American Senator from Georgia. Warnock and Ossoff are rejecting corporate PAC money, which is emblematic of their grassroots campaign. Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang plans to go to Georgia to campaign for Ossoff and Warnock.

If elected, Ossoff and Warnock will work closely with President-elect Biden to get major issues solved. Both Ossoff and Warnock want to build on the Affordable Care Act and provide a public option so Georgians who do not like their private insurance have a healthcare option with lower premiums, deductibles, and copayments. Both of them also promise to protect people with pre-existing conditions, like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and much more. They also support expanding Medicaid so more Georgians are covered with health insurance.

There are a lot of issues on the ballot this January, including climate change, racial justice, the economy, COVID-19, and much more. All eyes are on Georgia, which has the power to chart the course of history.