For the first time since the early 2000’s, Georgia elected Democrats to represent their state in the United States Senate. On January 5th and 6th, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were both elected to the senate by special election.

Raphael Warnock is one of the new senators; he is a Black pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the same church Martin Luther King Jr. was assistant pastor of from 1927 to 1930. Jon Ossoff is a young Jewish man and the son of an immigrant. These two senators are not just creating a Democratic majority in the senate, they are also representing a much more diverse population of the United States.

The new Democratic majority in the senate is bound to have some major effects on what the incoming Biden presidency is able to do. It is likely that with a Democratic majority the House of Representatives will be able to pass more progressive bills, which could result in the expansion of the Affordable Care Act. Although the main concern at the moment is COVID-19 relief packages, which might be easier to pass and get out to people who need it with a Democratic majority in the senate. 

As for what will most likely affect students, Levi Bartholomew, a Social Studies teacher at Dakota Ridge High School said, “I think the biggest thing you’re gonna see is an emphasis on more funding for education.”

Students could be positively affected by the increase in funding for education; it may enable schools to distribute new technology to students and include more resources for this remote learning environment. The additional funding might also help schools that have been unable to open due to COVID-19. 

“I think it will certainly make somewhat of an impact, especially for people who struggle with grades or don’t have access to technology or tutoring…it will help them do better,” Dakota Ridge High School junior Aaron Graff said.  

Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff’s victories in Georgia will have some immediate effects on the students at Dakota Ridge High School, but only time will tell what it will mean for the future.

“It’s hard to tell right now,”  Bartholomew said.  “A lot of it will depend on what kind of legislation they pass, and also it will depend, in two years, if they can retain the majority, and in four years if they can retain the presidency in the long run.”