Democrats Control House and Senate for First Time Since 2011 as Schumer Ousts McConnell On 1/20/21 at 8:28 PM EST On Wednesday, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York took on the role of Senate Majority Leader, taking the title away from Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as Democrats regained control of both congressional chambers for the first time since 2011. Control of the Senate shifted over to a 50-50 party split on Wednesday as Democratic Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were both sworn in as the 49th and 50th Democratic senators, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris as the deciding vote should the chambers' votes ever end in a tie.