Georgia election: Why is it a big deal that Democrats have taken control of the Senate?
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The Democratic Party of US President-elect Joe Biden has just won a really important election in America.
The Democrats have beaten the Republican Party and taken control of the Senate.
They had two victories in the state of Georgia last night as Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeated their Republican counterparts in a rerun election.
It means the Democrats will control the Senate, the House of Representatives and the White House for the first time since 2011, when Republicans won control of the House.
So, what is the Senate?
This is the Capitol Building in America where the US senators work
The Senate is one part of the US government that makes the laws, called Congress. The other part of Congress is the House of Representatives.
The Senate has 100 members - two from each state. One is senior and one is junior, depending on the experience they have.
A member of the Senate is called a Senator and they stay in their job for six years.
Why is it a big deal?
This is where the senators sit in The House of Representatives
In American politics, the party which has control of the Senate - and the other part of Congress called the The House of Representatives - decides on the direction of the country.
The Democrats now have control of both parts of Congress and this means that it will be easier for Joe Biden to make changes to America, such as improving America's commitment to climate change.
Out-going President Donald Trump has tweeted his unhappiness with the result, and said the election is a fraud - but he's got no evidence to back that up.
How did we get here?
Joe Biden will become the President of the United States on January 20, 2021
It's been over two months since Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in the 2020 US Presidential election.
Alongside the Presidential vote, Americans were given the opportunity for who they want to represent them in Congress.
The Democrats won control of the House of Representatives.
However, the result of the Senate was so close in the state of Georgia that the election has had to be held again.
When he formally becomes President on 20 January, Biden will be able to use the support of Congress to push through the laws he wants.
Winners Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeated their Republican counterparts in a rerun election.
Mr Warnock is a Baptist pastor, and has become the first black senator for Georgia - a slavery state in the US Civil War - and only the 11th black member of the Senate in US history.
Jon Ossoff is 33, and will be the youngest Democrat to serve in the Senate since President-elect Joe Biden, who assumed office in 1973 at the age of 30.
What will Biden change?
There are a number of tasks on Joe Biden's to-do list.
During the election campaign, Biden promised to make dramatic and ambitious changes to the country's commitment to tackle climate change.
He has said the US will re-join the Paris Climate Agreement, which is the international pact designed to avoid dangerous warming of the Earth.
Biden also promised to try and tackle the coronavirus, he wants to provide free testing for everyone and hire 100,000 people to set up a national contact-tracing programme.
He's also said he believe that racism exists in the US and must be dealt with.
He wants to create business support for minorities and set up social programmes.
- Published3 November 2020
- Published12 November
