With the runoff of the special election in Georgia's 6th district ending in a little over a week, much momentum can be found in the Ossoff campaign during this final stretch. A poll by the Atlanta Journal Constitution has Ossoff winning by a 7 point margin. Although there is much speculation that his success is due to large amounts of money being donated to his campaign, this margin can be blamed on his entire campaign and everything that has been put into it. Because of this, I have created a list of 5 reason why Jon Ossoff is going to Flip the 6th.
The new 'progressive era' of the Democratic party
The Democratic Party has been going through an evolution of some sorts. It is often referred to as the "working man/woman" party. however, over the past few years, it has somewhat shifted its platform; encouraging the idea of being progressive. This idea could be seen in the Bernie Sanders campaign and the passage of marriage equality by former President Obama towards the end of his tenure in office. Democrats have also encouraged the idea of progress and renewal concerning its leadership; that's where Ossoff comes in. Thee party has various young and up-and-coming leaders. They fit the new progressive mild that the party is adopting and they encourage young voters; its a win/win situation.
The fact that Ossoff is a young, fresh face and has little experience (compared to most) in the political scene could potentially put him over the edge. Younger people are becoming more involved in politics, thus, they want to see people that are like them. So, when young people, like Jon Ossoff, begin running for elected positions, the millennial vote gives them the edge and makes it somewhat hard for them to lose.
His platform is universal
From civil rights and liberties to way that the U.S. can deal with ISIS, Ossoff's campaign platform has it all. The platform contains universal issues and is arguably a fundamental list of thins that every American has considered at one point or another. It contains issues that are bi-partisan and can be analyzed in various perspectives.
Although his solutions take a liberal approach concerning issues, that are still issues that conservatives are concerned about and have opinions on.
He's a person first
Overall, Ossoff is a likable guy, and he knows it. Whether is be a rural community in southern Georgia or the diverse city of Atlanta, he knows his audience. He knows their concerns, things that can affect them directly, and he has solutions on how to change them for the better. In various aspects of his campaign, he has engaged voters, showing them that he is a person from Georgia just like them. He has a strong grassroots campaign that gets everyone, old and young, engaged in his efforts. He related to voters by listening to their stories and by telling his own.
He shows that he is not only a politician, but he is also a person. This is an aspect that we rarely see in politics; an aspect that could help him win.
2016 was a hard year
Like myself, there are many people out there still hurting from the 2016 Presidential election. There are people who are fearful of the, who feel like they don't have a voice, who feel like our country is being backtracked instead of being pushed forward. There are people who feel like our country was 'Stronger Together' and that we didn't need to 'Make America Great Again' because it was already the greatest and most powerful in the world. So, when we saw the flicker of light in the sea of darkness, we gained hope. Jon Ossoff and his campaign gave us back the hope that had been stolen from us following the November election.
It gave myself and others like me the push we needed to start doing better, for the better. It gave us the push to stick to what we believe in, to choose love, not hate, and made us determined to help those who wanted to represent and help us.
Who he is
No one knew who Jon Ossoff was before the campaign to flip one of the most historically conservative districts in the south. He was a local boy born and raised in the 6th district of Georgia. The only thing he has ever done remotely close to being in politics is being a Congressional aide on Capitol Hill. Other than that, he is just a normal guy; this is what makes him special. He''s the local kid from the 6th district of Georgia trying to be a catalyst for change.
He is what every young person getting involved in politics aims to do and achieve. He is trying to stand up for what is right, and in our current political climate, that is all you need to be well liked, respected, and promote real change.
All I know is that Jon Ossoff is an underlying force within the Democratic party. he was the first real hope gained following the November election. He gave back hope and urged his supporters to stand for what is right. He is a man, with a story, trying to generate actual change. And because of all this, I believe Jon Ossoff will flip the 6th district of Georgia and continue to be that flicker of light in this dark time in American history.
