Despite having a guaranteed Democrat majority in the new Senate in January, Republicans still have a lot to gain with a Herschel Walker victory in the Georgia Senate race.
While Democrats having a de facto majority in the current 50-50 Senate, those figures mandate committees to have an even split of members from both parties – making it easier for Republicans to put up roadblocks on some Democrat priorities, The Hill said.
A win by Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., on Tuesday would give the Democrats a 51-49 majority – allowing the party's lawmakers to hold a majority in every Senate committee.
"Right now, we got a chance to make all the committees even — that we can still do some correction on it," Walker said Monday on Newsmax's "Spicer & Co." "That's what I'm going to fight for. Right now, this election is more important than any election, I think, we've ever had in history."
The Hill pointed out that Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema D-Ariz., hold huge leverage over the Democrats' agenda. The two are considered most likely to dissent from their party colleagues.
A Democrat win in Georgia would reduce their influence since Democrats could afford to lose the vote of one of the two and still push through legislation.
In addition, former President Donald Trump also has a lot at stake in the Georgia race since he encouraged Walker to make a bid for the Senate, The Hill noted.
Despite a huge edge in fundraising — reportedly close to a 3-to-1 advantage — Warnock is stuck in a statistical tie with Walker just days before the final Georgia Senate runoff vote on Tuesday.
Warnock leads Walker by just 2 points (51%-49%), which is within the 3.2 percentage point margin of error in the latest Emerson College/The Hill poll.