Underneath the noise that was Jan. 6, 2021 — an election certification forced to recess following Republican objection to Arizona’s Electoral College tally, and a subsequent postponement of the Electoral College debate after pro-Trump terrorists broke into the Capitol via gunfire and smashed windows, forcing Congress to shelter-in-place — the Democrats flipped the Senate.

Jon Ossof was officially declared the winner of his Senate runoff race, after defeating longtime Georgia Senator David Perdue. 

"It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate," Ossoff said earlier Wednesday before his win was officially declared, though multiple sources projected his win was highly likely. 

At age 33, he will be the youngest sitting U.S. senator. Ossoff will also be the first Jewish senator from Georgia. 

He now joins Rev. Raphael Warnock, and both are the first Democrats to win Senate seats in Georgia since 2000. Warnock's term lasts only two years, but Ossoff has won himself a full six-year term in the Senate.

Warnock will become the first Black senator from Georgia, and also the first Georgia Democrat to be elected to the Senate in 20 years. 

Control of the U.S. Senate needed to be decided by two runoff elections between Ossoff and Perdue, as well as between incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Rev. Raphael Warnock.

The Senate now stands at 50-50.

Evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, but once sworn in as vice president, Kamala Harris would have the power to break ties for Democrats.

A flip was crucial to give President-elect Biden the mandate needed to enact this vision for the next four years, as well as to grant the Democratic-held House room to push legislation throughout his term. 

Challengers Warnock and Ossoff proved not to be the underdogs they appeared to be at first glance, especially Ossoff, whose performance in the November election only narrowly granted him a runoff. 

But Georgia flipped blue for the first time in nearly 30 years in favor of Biden, an early indicator of a shift that could further deepen the historically-Republican state’s foot in the Democratic party. 

Low spirits from Trump supporters after a dismal election also came into play, especially in rural Georgia. 

As a general consensus, the drive behind the Senate flip was Stacey Abrams’ mobilizing force, and the ensuing voter mobilization groups focused on BIPOC representation at the polls. 

This didn’t happen overnight. 

Abrams herself has said that this was a project 10 years in the making, as she built a Democratic political infrastructure, first with her New Georgia Project, and most recently with Fair Fight, the voting rights organization she founded soon after losing her bid for governor in 2018, reports the NYT.

Now, she’s served her justice. 

“Congratulations to our next U.S. Senator, @ReverendWarnock. Last January, I endorsed my dear friend in his quest to serve. Soon, he will walk those august halls & cast votes as a leader with courage, justice and integrity,” Abrams wrote on Twitter. 
 

She wrote a message to Ossoff as well, expressing her congratulations. 

“In 2017, Georgia’s next U.S. Senator @ossoff confronted a dark chapter in our nation’s story by standing for office. Now Jon Ossoff will stand for all of Georgia in the fight for healthcare, jobs + justice. And our nation will be all the better for having him. Congratulations”

Perdue has yet to concede. 

It will take days for the Georgia election to be officially certified, so Ossoff and Warnock will not be able to take office immediately. One thing’s immediate, being that it’s now Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.