Republican Scott Brown was sworn in as the Senator of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on Thursday.

Vice President Joe Biden, in his role as the President of the Senate, administered the oath of office. Fellow Massachusetts Senator John Kerry was beside Brown.

“Congratulations Senator, welcome,” Biden said as he shook the hand of the junior state senator.

Brown defeated Senator Martha Coakley last month, in an upset victory of a special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.

He becomes the 41st Republican senator, giving the party the ability to filibuster Democratic bills if it votes in a bloc.

See his swearing in below in a video provided by C-Span.

Joe biden