Jon Osoff speaks during the Dec. 13, 2018, meeting of the Habersham County Democratic Party at the Cornelia Library. His close 6th Congressional District race against former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel gained national attention and fueled Democrats’ hopes of flipping the state blue.
Former Georgia congressional candidate Jon Osoff announced Monday he’s running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by David Perdue. He made the announcement in a series of news interviews and on social media. Osoff is expected to make a formal announcement later today.
Osoff, 32, is the fourth Democrat to challenge Perdue.
Widely viewed as a rising star within the Georgia Democratic party following his 2017 bid for Congress, Osoff says he wants to flip the state blue. His decision to take on Perdue is part of his effort to “mount a ruthless assault on corruption in our political system,” according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We have squandered trillions on endless war. We have squandered trillions on bailouts for failed banks. We have squandered trillions on tax cuts for wealthy donors. Then we’re told there’s nothing left over for the people,” Ossoff said. “The corruption must be rooted out. And Sen. David Perdue is a caricature of Washington corruption.”
Other Democrats running against Perdue include former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlin, Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry, and business executive and former Georgia lieutenant governor candidate Sarah Riggs Amico.
Several lesser-known candidates have filed fundraising paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. They include Marckeith DeJesus, a financial counselor who lost two recent bids for the state Legislature, Stockbridge High School teacher Akhenaten Hotep Amun, and Elaine Whigham Williams, a pastor who ran for president in 2016.
Two open Senate seats put Georgia in play
Perdue is a first-term Republican and former Fortune 500 CEO. He’s also a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. His is not the only Senate seat Republicans will have to defend in Georgia in 2020.
The state’s senior Senator Johnny Isakson announced in August that he’s stepping down at the end of the year for health reasons. Gov. Brian Kemp will select his interim replacement. Kemp’s appointee will serve until a special election on November 3, 2020, for the remaining two years of Isakson’s term.
Georgia’s Ninth District Congressman Doug Collins has expressed interest in the job. When asked about Isakson’s seat in a recent interview, Collins told The Associated Press: “If the governor were to ask me, would I like to take that position and begin that cycle? I would say yes.”
