Tuesday night saw the Republican party take back the White House along with the majority in the Senate in historic fashion. While several key Senate races are still too close to call as of writing this, enough have been decided to know that the balance of power in Congress will be very different come January.

Currently, the Senate has a 51-49 seat Democratic majority. That has meant that for the past several years, the Democrats have largely decided which bills get moved through committee and receive a vote. Many bills passed by the House that would have helped expectant mothers, improved the situation at the border, and protected women’s sports, have met a dead end in the current Senate.

But thanks to several key races, that won’t be the case next year. As expected, Gov. Jim Justice flipped West Virginia for the Republicans, and he (and his famous pet Babydog) will be replacing retiring Sen. Joe Manchin. Montana’s vote also went as expected, with Tim Sheehy easily defeating incumbent Democrat senator Jon Tester by nearly 10 points.

In what was seen as a likely pickup for Republicans but far from a certain one, the Ohio senate race saw Bernie Moreno defeat three-term incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, ensuring that every statewide office in that state is now held by the Republicans.

Alongside other expected victories, that brings the new total of Republican senate seats to 52. Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania’s races will all come down to the wire, but it is possible that Republicans will increase that majority by a few more seats once all the votes have been counted.

With a Republican Senate working with President Trump in the White House, Congress will look very different in the next term. An obvious change will be the shift in legislative priorities – this new Senate will be more amenable to bills that protect life, fight against gender ideology, and protect national sovereignty. Bills that Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) has championed, such as Life.gov, will likely have a greater chance of success in the coming year.

One important procedural change is that Trump will be able to more easily appoint his cabinet secretaries and every executive branch political appointment that must be confirmed by the Senate. Without a Republican majority, many of those important positions would have been left unfilled as the Senate stalled to confirm them. This is also true for federal judiciary positions – the Senate will be able to appoint judges who align with Constitutional jurisprudence.

Another critical win is that the filibuster will not be abolished, as Sen. Schumer had threatened to do. The filibuster is a critical tool to protect the rights of the minority party in the Senate, and it is wise governance for the majority party to leave it in place (to preserve the voice of the minority no matter who is in power).

This election was a win for women, for families, for common sense and for truth. However, as Christians standing in the public square, there is always work to be done, regardless of which party holds power in Washington. No politician is perfect, and it’s through the advocacy work of CWALAC, the faithful partnership of her volunteers and membership, and ultimately the grace of our Lord that we’re able to direct our legislators to do what is good and right for all Americans.