NORTHAMPTON – Valley activists and politicians reacted with enthusiasm to the runoff election results for two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia, which will put the Senate into Democratic Party control.
The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Baptist pastor and the Democratic candidate, was declared the winner over his Republican opponent U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, while Democrat Jon Ossoff was declared the winner over Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue.
“I think it’s thrilling,” said Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, of the results. “People power won the day.”
Comerford used to work at the progressive advocacy group MoveOn, and she said that she had a number of friends who were involved in the runoff elections.
“There is a big smile on my face this morning,” said Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Sunderland. “This is a monumental shift for our nation.”
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, was similarly elated by the results.
“I have a bounce in my step,” said McGovern.
McGovern said that Democratic control of the Senate would mean that bills like the one authorizing $2,000 pandemic relief checks will be able to get voted on in the Senate. He said the checks have bipartisan support, but Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had prevented them from coming up for a vote.
Warnock and Ossoff’s victories give the Democrats and those who caucus with them 50 out of 100 seats in the chamber. With Vice President Kamala Harris in place, that gives Democrats control of the Senate. Democrats already control the House.
“There’s great benefit to the people of western Massachusetts as a result of what happened in Georgia,” said McGovern.
Aside from $2,000 checks, McGovern said that infrastructure funding, aid for state and local governments, and legislation to combat the climate crisis are all things he could see passing Congress. He also pointed to the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, named after the late Georgia congressman and civil rights leader, as another piece of legislation he could see passing.
“I’m hoping that will be one of the first items up for consideration in both chambers,” said McGovern.
McGovern is a longtime progressive politician, and he said that he’s under no illusion that he’ll be able to see everything he wants passed in the closely divided congressional chambers.
But with the majority and the ability to control the agenda and schedule in the Senate, “at least we will get a fighting chance,” the congressman said.
The Movement Voter Project, a Northampton-based organization that raises money and distributes it to progressive organizations that mobilize voters around the country, was heavily involved in the Georgia runoffs.
MVP distributed $10.3 million to 52 groups working in the runoffs, most of whom were Georgia based. Some of these Georgia groups were Black Voters Matter Fund, New Georgia Project, SONG Power and the Asian American Advocacy Fund, while some of the national groups were the Working Families Party, Sunrise Movement and Mijente.
“It was a really beautiful validation of our strategy,” said Billy Wimsatt, founder and executive director of MVP, of the results.
Wimsatt said that the stretch goal for the groups it was providing money to was knocking on 5.5 million doors, a figure that reached 8.5 million doors.
“The people in our local group are jumping up and down for joy,” said Larry Hott, an activist with the western Massachusetts chapter of MVP.
He also said that a minimum of more than $52,000 was raised by MVP’s western Massachusetts chapter for the Georgia races.
Stephen Linsky, chairman of the Easthampton Democratic Committee, traveled to Georgia to volunteer in the runoffs.
“I was in Savannah, Georgia, for a week,” he said. “It was a very positive experience.”
Linsky said that the election in Georgia was the most historic of any that he’d participated in, describing the result as akin to throwing off a yoke.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.