The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Matt Booker, and Carolyn Fiddler, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
Leading Off
●GA-Sen-A: Multiple media outlets declared Democrat Jon Ossoff the winner of Georgia's regularly scheduled Senate election on Wednesday afternoon as late-tallied ballots pushed him out to a 50.4 to 49.6 edge on Republican David Perdue, a difference of more than 35,600 votes. That margin—which was three times larger than Joe Biden's in November—precludes Perdue from seeking a recount, which state law permits only when candidates are separated by 0.5% of the vote or less.
Along with fellow Democrat Raphael Warnock's win over Republican Kelly Loeffler, which was confirmed in the wee hours on election night, Ossoff's victory ensures that Democrats will have the 50 seats they need to control the Senate, thanks to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote.
However, Ossoff and Warnock will not be sworn in to the 117th Congress until after the results of their elections are certified, a task that Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has until Jan. 22 to complete. It's therefore likely that New York Sen. Chuck Schumer won't be elevated to the position of majority leader until a few days after Biden and Harris are inaugurated on Jan. 20.