Jon Ossoff

Jon Ossoff

Thomas Jonathan Ossoff is an American politician and investigative journalist. He is the Democratic Party nominee for the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Georgia. He was the Democratic nominee in the historically expensive 2017 special election for Georgia’s 6th congressional district. In total, his campaign raised more than USD 23 million, which was contributed by small-dollar donors nationwide.

About Jon Ossoff in brief

Summary Jon OssoffThomas Jonathan Ossoff is an American politician and investigative journalist. He is the Democratic Party nominee for the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Georgia, running against Republican incumbent Senator David Perdue. He was the Democratic nominee in the historically expensive 2017 special election for Georgia’s 6th congressional district. After finishing first, but without a majority in the all-party primary election, he lost the runoff with 48. 2% of the vote to Republican Karen Handel’s 51. 8%. Born in Atlanta, Georgia to a Jewish family, he was raised in Northlake, an unincorporated community. He attended the Paideia School, an independent school in Atlanta. While in high school, he interned for civil rights leader and U. S. Representative John Lewis. In 2009, he graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 2013, he earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics in 2013. He worked as a national security staffer and aide to U. S. Representative Hank Johnson for five years. He left Johnson’s office in 2012 to earn a master’s degree at the London school of Economics. He said that he temporarily lived in the neighboring 4th district so that his live-in girlfriend, who was then an Emory University medical student, could walk to work.

He became engaged during the campaign and the two became engaged in April 2013. In April 2017, he announced his candidacy for the special election on January 5, 2017. He quickly emerged as the most viable Democratic candidate out of a large field of candidates. The district was not considered competitive, and had been represented in Congress by Republicans since 1978. He raised over USD 8. 3 million by early April of the year. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Os soff ‘transformed what was expected to be a quiet battle for a long-safe Republican seat into a proxy fight over Trump, the health care overhaul and the partisan struggle for suburbia.’ He was endorsed by Congressmen Hank Johnson and John Lewis, and state House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams. He also received public support from U. S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. In total, his campaign raised more than USD 23 million, which was contributed by small-dollar donors nationwide. His opponent, Handel, and national Republican groups attacked him for raising significant small- dollar contributions. Ossof won all but 1% of the Republican vote, while Republicans collectively won more than 51% of the overall vote.