Political Rewind: Democrats control U.S. Senate; U.S. House influx; State GOP elects new speaker

The panel

Leo Smith, @leosmithtweets, GOP political consultant and CEO Engaged Futures

Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, @mmo_mary, (D) Decatur

Maya King, @mayaaking, politics reporter, The New York Times

Patricia Murphy, @MurphyAJC, political reporter and columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The breakdown

1. Georgia's Senate race is the only undecided Senate contest in the country.

• With races called in Nevada and Arizona over the weekend, control of the Senate doesn't come down to Georgia, as it did last year.
• The AJC's Patricia Murphy says with Democrats retaining control of the Senate, some of the intensity of the race is lowered. But having a 51-49 majority could be beneficial.
• Currently, Vice President Kamala Harris is the tiebreaking vote in the U.S. Senate.
• If Democrats take the majority, they wouldn't have to share committees or rely on outliers in the party, and could provide steady confirmation of President Biden’s judicial nominees.

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2. With the pressure off Georgia, both parties reflect on candidate quality during last week elections.

• Many question if Herschel Walker can garner votes in the December runoff without the balance of power in the Senate coming down to the Peach State.
• At the state level, the GOP won the ballot everywhere except in the U.S. Senate.
• Incumbents Gov. Brian Kemp and Brad Raffensperger won after going against Trump and accepting the results of the 2020 election.
• Meanwhile, Trump ally Burt Jones was elected as lieutenant governor.
  

LISTEN: State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver speaks on the glass ceiling some women have faced on statewide races.

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3.  Members of Georgia's GOP meet today to find the successor to State House Speaker David Ralston.

• Ralston announced he was stepping down as speaker to address health challenges. A new leader will be elected today, and installed Jan. 9 at the beginning of the legislative session.
• Majority Leader Jon Burns won the position.
• There will also be new leadership in the Senate, as Lt. Gov. Jeff Duncan did not run for reelection.
• Lt. Gov.-elect Burt Jones will be the new president of the Senate next year.

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4. The U.S. House remains up for grabs.

• If Republicans take the House, it's unlikely they will find common ground with the Democratic Senate.
• A Democratic hold of the House would mean President Biden's party would maintain its trifecta of power for another two years.
• Maya King explains what control of the U.S. House means for outliers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

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