Ossoff and Warnock sworn in by VP Harris; Democrats take control of Senate
Just hours after taking her own oath of office outside the Capitol, Vice President Kamala Harris administered oaths of office to three Democrats: Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who won Jan. 5 runoff elections, and Alex Padilla of California, who was appointed to fill the vice president’s former seat.
Democrats thus officially claimed control of the Senate. With Republicans also holding 50 seats, Harris will give the Democrats majority status because of the vice president’s ability to break ties as president of the Senate.
Each member of the new group represented a milestone in diversity: Warnock is the first Black senator from Georgia and Ossoff is the state’s first Jewish senator, while Padilla is the first Latino senator from California. Padilla took the seat vacated by Harris, who had been the first person of color to represent California in the Senate.
Before swearing the senators in, Harris read from an official document referring to Padilla as the appointee to the seat vacated by “former Senator Kamala D. Harris of California,” then let out a loud laugh and commented, “That was very weird.”
It marked an unusual beginning for the three men, who attended a presidential inauguration on their first day as senators and will count deliberating and voting in an impeachment trial as some of their earliest acts in office.
