The election of Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia’s run-off gives the Democratic Party control of the Senate, ending Senator Mitch McConnell’s run as Majority Leader and potentially ending gridlock on Capitol Hill. It also represents a repudiation of Trumpism and President Donald Trump’s divisive style of governing, which has exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic and hurt the U.S. economy, driving many Americans into poverty and despair.

On top of Trump’s defeat in the national election, Georgia results represent a shift in American politics. After four years of Trump’s chaotic style of governing, voters have had enough. They have rejected Trumpism, which ignores the facts and science. Americans prefer unity over conflict; collective purpose over greed and self interest. For many voters in Georgia, the final straw was Trump’s refusal to recognize Joe Biden as the winner and his threats towards Georgia’s officials to “find” almost 12,000 votes for him in a futile and anti-democratic effort to reverse the election outcome and subvert the democratic will of the people.  

Georgia’s senators-elect are starkly contrasted with the Republican incumbent candidates Perdue and Loeffler, who they defeated in the run-off. Warnock is a pastor from Martin Luther King’s church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Atlanta. An African-American, he was raised in public housing with 11 siblings. He’s the only member of his family to get a college education.

Ossoff’s election represents the growing engagement of young people in politics. He is a 33-year-old documentary filmmaker and community organizer. He is also Jewish. 

Now Georgia, historically a hub for white supremacy, is sending both a Black and Jewish representative to the U.S. Senate.

The election marks an end to the era of routine obstructionism and legislative gridlock. Georgians and the country as a whole want real solutions to the country’s serious problems. They want the federal government to provide the resources and expertise to deliver vaccines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They want the government to support economic recovery, by providing greater financial assistance to individuals who are struggling and businesses on the brink of permanent closure. They want to restore America’s leadership around the world on key issues, such as global warming. They want race relations to be improved, as evidenced by the Black Lives Matter Movement.

The election should serve as a wake-up call to the Republican Party. Loeffler and Perdue lost support because of its support for Trumpism and by turning a blind eye to the average Americans.

The Democratic Party must also learn lessons from the election. Black voters and women were pivotal in Georgia. Pivotal suburban voters also abandoned Republican candidates, voting democratic. These trends were especially pronounced in Georgia’s cities, which have large Black populations. Voters in Dekalb and Fulton counties also supported the Democrat candidates by about 80 percent.

Republican candidates should blame Trump for their defeat. Trump lost his own election for president. He also contributed to the defeat of Republicans. His rally in northern Georgia on Monday was a blistering diatribe of grievances and narcissism.

The election is a gut check for the Republicans. The Party is at a fork in the road. Will it return to traditional conservative Republican values or will it remain associated with Trump’s divisive agenda?

Democrats also have to rise to the challenge. They need to think big about solutions for the country, meet the needs of Black voters, and govern inclusively. The pressure is on Biden to deliver measurable progress. 

Students at Masters welcome the increased role of young people in politics. Whether Democrat or Republican, we want to do our part to bring people together and heal America’s wounds after four years of Trump’s failed leadership.