Democrats control Senate after three new senators are sworn in

WASHINGTON – Democrats officially took control of the Senate on Wednesday after three new senators were sworn in, giving the party the White House and Congress for the first time in more than a decade.

Georgia second-round winners Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff officially became senators, replacing the two Republicans they defeated. And Alex Padilla of California was sworn in after being appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill the vacant seat of Vice President Kamala Harris, who was sworn in in all three.

All three represent historical firsts. Warnock is the first black Democratic senator to represent a southern state. Ossoff, 33, is the first millennial to be elected to the chamber. And Padilla is the first Latino senator from the various Golden State.

Their addition brought the Senate to a 50-50 split between the two parties, allowing Harris to recognize New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer as the “majority leader” for the first time.

This decision ends Senator Mitch McConnell’s reign as majority leader after six years. The Kentucky Republican, who was re-elected to a seventh term in November, becomes minority leader.

Harris then sworn in Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., As President of the Senate pro tempore, a position held by the oldest member of the House Control Party and who is third in line for the presidency.

It was also a historic event for Schumer, becoming the first leader of the Jewish majority in the Senate.

“That I become the leader of the new majority in the Senate is a huge responsibility,” he said. “Today, I feel the full weight of this responsibility. A feeling of reverence, of awe, of the trust placed in me.