What’s next? Ossoff, Warnock face stiff learning curve as Senate freshmen
As Georgia’s new freshmen senators begin work in Washington, they face a significant learning curve as they advocate for Georgia’s interests.
Elected in a run-off watched by Americans from coast-to-coast, Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock were among the last senators to take the oath of office.
By arriving later than other senators and being political newcomers, Ossoff and Warnock will be at the bottom of the seniority list in a body where seniority counts. Sworn in as senators 99 and 100, they’ll sit at the end of the dais and ask questions last.
But the senators were crucial to Democrats attaining a slim majority and it’s likely that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will be receptive to their needs for re-election, said Mercer University political scientist Chris Grant.
Their “influence on some things may be surprisingly strong, given their very low ranks in seniority,” he said.
As the first two Georgia Democrats to serve in the Senate since Zell Miller left in January 2005, they may also be granted some consideration in committee assignments, said University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock.
Arriving late to Washington, much of the planning for the 117th Congress has already begun, he said.
Classically, Georgia senators want to serve on the agriculture, commerce, trade, justice, foreign relations and armed services committees, Grant said.
“My suspicion is that given the industries that are important to Georgia we will see someone on agriculture, someone on commerce — especially the aviation subcommittee — and probably someone on armed services,” Grant said. “Those are three pretty important committees for the state and Sen. Schumer is going to want to see a Georgian on those committees for the sake of protecting his majority.”
Terrence Clark, communications director and chief spokesman for Warnock’s campaign said the two senators made history, and that comes with both challenges and opportunities.
“As with any new member, they’ll come in and have to do a lot in a little amount of time, but they’ll be coming in with a network and an energized electorate of Georgia that has just accomplished something that many people in other states weren’t able to. That’s a benefit because it means they’ll have the backing of tons of people who will be rooting for them,” Clark said.
Ossoff’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
Experience counts
When Ossoff and Warnock begin work, they’ll be among the least experienced freshmen senators. While Warnock will bring some expertise from his career as a minister and Ossoff as a staffer for U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), neither has experience as a legislator.
The most analogous situation in recent history occurred in 2002, Bullock said.
Zell Miller had taken office in 2000, completing the last four years of Sen. Paul Coverdell’s term. Miller, a former Georgia governor and lieutenant governor, had two years of experience in the senate when Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) defeated Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA) in the 2002 election. Prior to joining the senate, Chambliss had served in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight years.
It will be crucial for Ossoff and Warnock to recruit experienced staffers to help them hit the ground running and best advocate for Georgia’s interests, Grant said.
“Everything we know about legislators tells us that experience counts,” Grant said. “Capitol Hill is a pretty intense place. … You have to understand the rules and you have to know how to exercise the rules. You have to know who to work with and who is reliable and who is not reliable, and who is going to grandstand and who is not going to grandstand.”
Senators’ offices are comprised of about 100 people who perform a number of tasks, including giving advice and weighing in on legislation, said Grant, who served as a fellow on Cleland’s staff.
“The better they fill those roles, the more effective they’ll be in the Senate,” he said.
The senators may seek help from staff working in more experienced senators’ offices as well, Bullock said.
To some extent, the senators will have to “learn by doing” while signing onto some bills with more senior Democrats, he said.
The importance of learning quickly
But it will also be important for them to build political clout and resumes for re-election. Warnock faces voters again in just two years while Ossoff is beginning a 6-year term, Bullock said.
One of the ways to build influence is having expertise, either knowledge brought with a senator when he or she takes office, or knowledge gained from listening to committee testimony and working through policy areas, he said.
Another way is having something to trade. Every senator has a vote. But in addition to that, Warnock may benefit from his role as senior pastor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta, Bullock said.
Fellow Democrats may invite him to speak at events in their home states or give presentations to predominantly Black audiences, he said.
Given the importance of seniority, Ossoff has plenty of time to work his way up if voters allow him to remain in Washington, Bullock said.
Elected at 33, “he can become one of those rare, rare people who spends the bulk of his life in the Senate,” Bullock said. “Usually you don’t get there until you’re in your 50s or so.”
He has the potential to join a group of longtime legislators that includes President Joe Biden, 78, who was 30 when he took office in 1973 and served until he became Vice President in 2009; Ted Kennedy (D-MA) who was elected at age 30 and served until his death at age 77; and Dick Russell (D-GA) who also was elected in his early 30s and served until his death at age 73.
Forming relationships with GOP leaders
It’s also going to be important for the senators to form strong working relationships with Georgia’s Republican state government leaders and other stakeholders. If they’re unsuccessful, it will be difficult to gain the momentum to build a strong track record to prepare for re-election campaigns, Grant said.
“They have to temper their progressivism with the needs of the state of Georgia if they’re going to be successful,” he said. “And that’s where experience really does matter.”
Clark said Warnock ran on a platform inclusive of all Georgians. Although some may call his ideals too progressive, they’re broadly popular and resonate with a majority of the electorate.
“It’s not about tempering,” he said. “It’s about doing what’s right for Georgians.”
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.