'We've got some breathing room': Sen. Patty Murray on the Georgia runoff election

One more Democrat in the Senate might not sound like a big deal. But the result in Tuesday’s Georgia runoff election does a bit more than give the party an extra buffer vote.

The 51-49 split empowers Democratic committee chairs, like the soon-to-be head of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee: Washington Sen. Patty Murray.

Murray was re-elected last month to her sixth term representing the state in Congress.

She says she's glad Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock prevailed in in his runoff election against Republican challenger and former Georgia football star Herschel Walker.

Murray calls Warnock "an amazing legislator, just a real leader."

But this race goes beyond one senator. For the first time since the 2020 election, Senate Democrats have 51 votes. That means there's more breathing room for legislation, Murray says.

"We've got some breathing room — to pass legislation, to get nominees through, and be able to do it in a more expedited manner than we have been for the last two years."

Listen to the rest of Soundside's conversation with Sen. Murray by hitting the "play" button at the top of the page.