Democrats captured control of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday with a pair of historic victories in Georgia’s runoff elections, assuring slim majorities in both chambers of Congress for President-elect Joe Biden and delivering an emphatic, final rebuke to President Donald Trump in his last days in office.
The Rev. Raphael Warnock defeated Sen. Kelly Loeffler, becoming the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from the South. And Jon Ossoff, the 33-year-old head of a video production company who has never held public office, defeated David Perdue, who recently completed his first full term as senator.
The twin victories were overshadowed in Washington when supporters of Trump stormed the Capitol. The police were forced to evacuate members of Congress as chaos and clashes erupted on the steps and rioters broke through into Capitol itself, with some entering the Senate chambers and offices in the building.