Democrat Jon Ossoff pulled a stunning first round victory in Georgia's Sixth Congressional district on Tuesday when he slammed a crowded field of 17 other candidates — mostly Republicans — but sprinkled with a few Democrats. Mr. Ossoff received slightly over 48 percent of the Georgia vote but needed 50 percent-plus to win the seat vacated by Tom Price, Trump's recently confirmed head of Housing and Human Services (HHS). How did this unknown person come out of obscurity and into prominence in just two months, becoming a nationally known figure?
Quite simply, Mr.
Ossoff took on President Donald Trump and it resonated with the grassroots in an instant. He rode the national wave of anti-Trumpism to where he is today: in a runoff against an unpopular perennial Republican candidate. He attracted young neophyte supporters, the women that marched against Trump and caught the attention of the progressive online publication, The Daily Kos. It was the support of The Daily Kos that launched the grassroots fundraising of $8.3 million dollars from a stunning 195,684 donors (as of March 29) catching the attention of the political world. Or what Politico calls "a wake-up call."
Georgia's a wake-up call: “I think we’re fooling ourselves if we don’t recognize that the Democratic anger is real" https://t.co/lyR5rl2Mwk pic.twitter.com/dp7fdxETEj
— POLITICO (@politico) April 20, 2017
Jon Ossoff has attracted young people and women
In Ossoff's favor is the weakness of his opponent that could make her vulnerable even to conservative Republicans, women in particular.
He is a big supporter of Planned Parenthood, a popular target of Republicans and conservatives. He has stated he supports women’s access to contraception, woman’s right to choose and vows to fight legislation allowing health insurance companies to discriminate against women.
On the issue of Obamacare, he supports working with Republicans to improve and upgrade Obama's legacy legislation.
“We can find common ground to fix Obamacare while keeping what works,” Ossoff said on his campaign website. He also supports the raising of the minimum wage, which is currently at $7.25 an hour on the national level. He also not only wants to raise the minimum wage but index it to the cost-of-living.
Jon Ossoff's supporters aren't giving up https://t.co/PshIlTjA9g
— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) April 20, 2017
Ossoff's GOP opponent has a checkered history
His opponent on Tuesday, June 20, will be Republican Karen Handel. She has a checkered history and is remembered for her controversy with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, an organization dedicated to curing breast cancer. She resigned from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation in a leadership role after she attempted a politically motivated effort to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood to perform cancer screenings.
On Thursday, the Democrats released an attack ad against her, in what The Hill labeled as a $450,000 ad campaign. The ad derides her as just another career politician who uses tax dollars to pay for her luxury SUV. It has begun and will continue for another eight weeks with President Trump the key issue.
