After a tight Senate race in Georgia on November 3, opposing competitors democrat Jon Ossoff faces Republican Sen. David Perdue while the second Senate seat has democrat Raphael Warnock and republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler competing in a historic double-runoff.

This race will determine who controls the Senate, with democrats obtaining 48 seats and republicans obtaining 50, with seats tied at 50-50, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would become the tiebreaker, defeating Republican control in the Senate.

Mariacatalina Villarreal, senior at Loretto said, “The political tension that has been created throughout our nation has a huge impact, neither side wants to lose.”

Georgia’s double-runoff happened due to a 1960’s election rule, stating that competitors who do not receive more than 50 percent of the vote head into an automatic runoff between the top two candidates.

Both Senate races went to runoffs due to both parties failing to reach the above 50 percent threshold, putting a state with approximately seven million voters in the national spotlight.

According to the New York Times, Georgia’s law states “The runoffs are to take place on the Tuesday of the ninth week after the election.”

This law would place the election day on January 5, only 15 days before President-elect Joe Biden would assume office.

This race is unusual, since Senate elections are scheduled to be staggered, but while Sen. Perdue faces normal re-election, Sen. Loeffler faces special elections after assuming the office of Sen. Johnny Isakson, who retired due to health concerns.

On December 6, 2020, Sen. Purdue refused to debate Ossoff in Atlanta as the first debate ended in Ossoff exposing Sen. Perdue for his work in stocks and failure to appropriately respond to COVID-19 in Georgia.

Ossoff took the opportunity to talk about his plans, debating with an empty podium next to him as he further criticized the senator’s performance in his years as a public servant.

On stage, Ossoff said,  “It shows an astonishing arrogance and sense of entitlement for Georgia’s senior U.S. senator to believe he shouldn’t have to debate at a moment like this in our history.”

Political agendas such as healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, stimulus checks, and spending all depend on this election if President-elect Joe Biden plans to have an effective four years during his presidency.

Loretto senior AnaMarie Cordova said, “It’s been inexplicably impossible to pass any COVID relief packages… if Warnock and Ossoff win their seats, it’ll ensure policies to be passed in the next years.”

Without these two seats, house democrats will not be able to pass major laws and bills due to a marginal republican lead.

All eyes will return to Georgia on January 5, when their runoff elections will determine the effectiveness of the Biden Administration and ultimate control over the Senate.