While Washington, D.C., is sure to change under President-elect Joe Biden, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate will not be changing their leadership. Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) were reelected to lead their caucuses.
This came during meetings on Tuesday morning. Democrats voted to keep the power structure intact at the top of their party with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) as minority whip and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) as assistant Democratic leader.
In their weekly address on Monday, Senate Democrats called for action on a coronavirus relief bill as the virus rates have spiked again in the United States.
On the Republican side of the aisle, McConnell was unanimously reelected by Republican colleagues, according to Axios.
Schumer has called on President Donald Trump to accept the results of the election and called on Republicans to recognize the results, saying on the Senate floor Monday, “As history prepares to write the final few sentences on the Trump presidency, it will surely note how this president and his Republican allies here in Congress treated our democracy on his way out the door.”
McConnell was more hedged in his language, saying that “President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options.”
Trump’s campaign held multiple press conferences alleging widespread voter fraud following Election Day but they have not yet substantiated those allegations. The witness that the Trump campaign first presented in Philadelphia to substantiate their claims was a convicted sex offender, according to Politico.
Control of the Senate still hangs in the balance as the political world gears up for a pair of Senate run-offs in Georgia, a state where Biden is ahead by a margin of just over 12,000 votes.
Senate Republicans managed to beat back what appeared to be a competitive map in 2020. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) each defeated well-funded challengers for their seats.
