Both seats are on the table two months after the first round in November, which ended so that no candidate received more than 50 per cent, as required by local law.
A Democratic victory in both seats would lead to a 50-50 balance in the Senate, effectively creating a situation where the Donkey Party – the Democrats – will be in control of the Senate for the first time since 2014 (thanks to Vice President Camela Harris for breaking the tie).
On the other hand, a Republican victory in one of the seats would allow the Elephant Party – the Republicans – to retain control of the Senate and effectively thwart the agenda of incoming President Biden and continue in a state of paralysis in Washington that would force both parties to fight – or compromise.
As of Wednesday morning, there seemed to be no clear decision, as even in the first round of November it took a long time to count the votes. The partial results that came during the night showed a close race with small gaps between the candidates – first the Democrats led and later the Republicans increased. If no gap is opened between the candidates, the announcement of the winners in the seats may be dragged on for days, as it was two months ago.
In any case, even if a winner is declared in each of the seats, the actual inauguration of the new senators from Georgia will only take place towards the end of the month, after a slew of approvals and procedural signatures. Therefore, regardless of the outcome, Georgia will have two vacant seats in the Senate almost every January.
For President Trump, a Republican victory – that is, achieving at least one seat for Republicans – would allow him to end his presidency with a successful legacy of “King of Kings.” For Biden a victory in both seats will be a significant impetus towards his inauguration on January 20, although forecasts say there is little chance that the Democrats will win both seats. This is because Georgia, although electing Biden in the presidential election by a small margin, is generally considered a Republican and has not elected a Democratic senator in 20 years.