--- title: Tina Smith, Doug Jones Sworn In to Senate Seats description: Vice Presidents Mike Pence, Joe Biden, and Walter Mondale were on hand for the Wednesday ceremony canonical: https://time.com/5086239/al-franken-tina-smith-minnesota-doug-jones-swearing-in/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-03T18:58:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:43:40.991Z article:section: Politics og:title: Two New Democratic Senators Were Sworn In Wednesday og:description: Narrowing the Republican majority to 51-49. og:url: https://time.com/5086239/al-franken-tina-smith-minnesota-doug-jones-swearing-in/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84d508bd3466ce05/6988f6f08fd2ee100c35a31e/gettyimages-900884528.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Newly Elected Senators Doug Jones And Tina Smith Sworn Into Senate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Two New Democratic Senators Were Sworn In Wednesday twitter:description: Narrowing the Republican majority to 51-49. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84d508bd3466ce05/6988f6f08fd2ee100c35a31e/gettyimages-900884528.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Two New Democratic Senators Were Sworn In Wednesday > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jan 3, 2018 6:58 PM UTC  U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) (2nd L) shakes hands with Vice President Mike Pence (R) as Jones' wife Louise (4th L), sons Carson (3rd L) and Christopher (L) look on during a mock swearing-in ceremony at the Old Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol January 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. Jones is the first Democratic senator from Alabama in more than two decades. He defeated Roy Moore leaving Republicans with a 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate. Alex Wong—Getty Images U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) (2nd L) shakes hands with Vice President Mike Pence (R) as Jones' wife Louise (4th L), sons Carson (3rd L) and Christopher (L) look on during a mock swearing-in ceremony at the Old Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol January 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. Jones is the first Democratic senator from Alabama in more than two decades. He defeated Roy Moore leaving Republicans with a 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate. Alex Wong—Getty Images Alex Wong—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jan 3, 2018 6:58 PM UTC The Senate officially welcomed two new Democrats Wednesday, reducing the Republican majority to 51-49 and bringing the number of women to an [all-time high](http://fortune.com/2018/01/02/tina-smith-al-franken-women-senate/) of 22. Vice President Mike Pence presided over the early afternoon ceremonies, administering oaths of office to [Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama](http://time.com/5064959/doug-jones-alabama-senate-race-2018-midterms-implications/) and[ Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota](http://time.com/5086218/doug-jones-tina-smith-sworn-senate-democrats/). Jones takes the state previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Smith was appointed to replace Democratic Sen. Al Franken, who resigned amid reports that he had forcibly kissed and groped several women. Jones [went against tradition](http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/doug%5Fjones%5Fpicks%5Fjoe%5Fbiden%5Fto.html) and was escorted by former Vice President Joe Biden, who campaigned for him during the contentious special election, as opposed to the senior senator for his state, Republican Sen. Richard Shelby. Biden was all smiles as Pence delivered the oath of office and offered Jones a bear hug after the “I do.” Smith was escorted Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a fellow Minnesota Democrat, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, who served under President Jimmy Carter. Mondale has been a mentor to Smith; in 2015, Smith told [_MinnPost_](https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2015/02/rise-tina-smith) that the former Vice President advised her to take a more hands on approach to her position as Minnesota’s lieutenant governor. Senators on the floor happily welcomed their new colleagues, chatting with them after the ceremony and taking time to engage with the current and former Vice Presidents who had joined them. After the official ceremony, the newly minted Senators, their families, and the three Vice Presidents trekked down the hall to the ornate Old Senate Chamber where they participated in a ceremonial swearing-in with their families and a gaggle of reporters. That part was mainly for show — both Senators posed for pictures with their families and the Vice Presidents. “How’s looking at him,” Biden said as he joined the Jones family for a photo with the Vice President. In response to a shouted welcome, Biden responded: “It’s good to be back.” The group chatted about football before they were replaced by Smith and her family, who she introduced to the Vice President one-by-one before the swearing-in. Sen. Klobuchar and Mondale beamed behind Vice President Pence as he administered the oath for the second time that day and her family applauded after the second “I do.” As the large group reshuffled for another photo, bookended by both VPs, Mondale, a Democrat, joked that he’d “hold up the left side” of the photo while Pence said he’d take the right. It was a lighthearted way to kick off this session of the 115th Congress and a nice reminder that though Senators may not always agree, many of them are friends. But the jovial spirit that defined the morning likely will not last. [Congress is gearing up for a bitter spending fight](http://time.com/5084067/congress-shutdown-daca-chip/) with a looming Jan. 19 deadline; Democrats have already begun to [list their demands](http://time.com/5084283/defend-daca-immigration-trump-democrats/). 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