For the first time in six years, Democrats will control the U.S. Senate just barely.

Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeated Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, respectively, in Georgias high-stakes runoff elections this week.

Democrats will control 50 votes in the 100-member Senate (two independents caucus with the party). When Democrat Kamala Harris takes office on Jan. 20 as vice president, she will be the tie-breaking vote as the Senates presiding officer.

Georgias Senate races ended in runoffs after no candidate topped 50% of the vote in multicandidate races held in November. Signifying what was at stake, the Georgia Senate campaigns shattered spending records as the two most expensive races in U.S. history combined, more than $830 million was spent on them. Overall, 9 out of the 10 most expensive Senate races in the nations history took place this election cycle.

The Democratic wins in the state are a major boost for what President-elect Joe Biden s administration can potentially accomplish in its first two years.

For one, Democratic control of the Senate will ease the confirmation process for Bidens Cabinet picks and allow Democrats to control the process of what legislation gets a vote.

The chamber also has enormous power in shaping the nations judiciary. Democrats have watched in dismay as the now-outgoing Senate majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, has won confirmation of scores of conservative nominees to federal district and appellate courts as well as three justices to the nine-member Supreme Court and blocked a host of legislation from ever getting voted on.

Democrats can also immediately start work on undoing some of the Trump administrations most recent policies, like cutting workplace safety inspections, rolling back polluting emissions controls and promoting junk health insurance plans.