Jon Ossoff

Jon Ossoff (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Georgia. He assumed office on January 20, 2021. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Ossoff (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Georgia. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on May 19, 2026.^[source]

Ossoff was a candidate in the 2017 special election to represent Georgia's 6th Congressional District. He qualified for the runoff election on April 18, 2017, receiving 48.1 percent of the vote, but was defeated by Republican Karen Handel on June 20, 2017, by a margin of approximately 3 points. The race was the most expensive in U.S. history and Ossoff raised more than $23 million in an attempt to flip the historically red district.

2020 battleground election

See also: United States Senate election in Georgia, 2020 (June 9 Democratic primary)

Jon Ossoff won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Georgia outright on June 9, 2020, having received more than 50% of the vote. Media attention focused on Ossoff, Sarah Riggs Amico, and Teresa Tomlinson throughout the primary.

Ossoff's background included work as a legislative aide and an investigative journalist. He also ran in the 2017 special election for Georgia's 6th Congressional District—the most expensive House race in history as of the 2020 primary. Ossoff said he had experience fighting corruption and that "we’re building a movement to mount an all-out attack on corruption in Washington." He also referred to the support his 2017 campaign garnered as equipping him to run for Senate.

Amico was executive chairwoman of her family's trucking company and the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018. She said she was "the only candidate in this race who has been out there creating and saving thousands of jobs for more than 16 years" and that she won more votes than any other Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial candidate in the state's history.

Tomlinson, former mayor of Columbus, Georgia, said she was the only candidate "who’s ever won an election, and I’m the only one who’s ever served in elected office," saying that experience was needed to defeat an incumbent. Tomlinson said she had raised more money from Georgia donors than Ossoff. She said, "From the beginning, this battle has been Ossoff’s 2017 national fundraising network vs. our ‘For Georgians, by Georgians’ campaign."

Each of the candidates said they supported expanding Medicare and background checks on gun purchases. Each said they opposed open borders and abolishing private insurance from the healthcare system. Each also said they would not accept money from corporate political action committees.

Also running were Marckeith DeJesus, James Knox, Tricia Carpenter McCracken, and Maya Dillard Smith.

Incumbent David Perdue (R) was elected in 2014 with 53% of the vote to Democrat Michelle Nunn's 45%. Republicans held a majority in the Senate during the 116th Congress with 53 seats to Democrats' 45. Two independents caucused with Democrats.

Elections

2020

See also: United States Senate election in Georgia, 2020 (Perdue vs. Ossoff runoff)

United States Senate election in Georgia, 2020 (June 9 Democratic primary)

United States Senate election in Georgia, 2020 (June 9 Republican primary)

General runoff election

General runoff election for U.S. Senate Georgia

Jon Ossoff defeated incumbent David Perdue in the general runoff election for U.S. Senate Georgia on January 5, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jon Ossoff (D)	50.6	2,269,923
		David Perdue (R)	49.4	2,214,979

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,484,902
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for U.S. Senate Georgia

Incumbent David Perdue and Jon Ossoff advanced to a runoff. They defeated Shane Hazel in the general election for U.S. Senate Georgia on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Perdue (R)	49.7	2,462,617
✔		Jon Ossoff (D)	47.9	2,374,519
		Shane Hazel (L)	2.3	115,039

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,952,175
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Darrell McGuire (Independent)
• Clifton Kilby (Independent)
• Elbert Bartell (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Georgia

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Georgia on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jon Ossoff	52.8	626,819
		Teresa Tomlinson	15.8	187,416
		Sarah Riggs Amico	11.8	139,574
		Maya Dillard Smith	8.8	105,000
		James Knox	4.2	49,452
		Marckeith DeJesus	3.9	45,936
	Submit photo	Tricia Carpenter McCracken	2.7	32,463

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,186,660
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Akhenaten Amun (D)
• Harold Shouse (D)
• Elaine Whigham Williams (D)
• Ted Terry (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Georgia

Incumbent David Perdue advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Georgia on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Perdue	100.0	992,555

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 992,555
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• James Jackson (R)
• Michael Jowers (R)

Candidate profile

Jon Ossoff

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Ossoff received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and master's degree from the London School of Economics. He worked as a legislative aide to Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), as a journalist, and as a documentary producer. Ossoff ran in the 2017 special election for Georgia's 6th Congressional District.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Ossoff referred to his background as an investigative journalist, saying, "Now we’re building a movement to mount an all-out attack on corruption in Washington — starting with President Donald Trump and Georgia Senator David Perdue."

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Ossoff said his 2017 special election campaign started a movement that he would build on in 2020.

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Ossoff said he believed "that women have a right to their own healthcare decisions; that our children deserve a clean, beautiful, healthy planet; that America's prosperity should guarantee all of us healthcare and a living wage; and that our democracy depends on defending every Americans' right to vote."

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Show sources

Sources: Jon Ossoff's 2020 campaign website, "Why I'm Running," accessed April 8, 2020, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Ossoff to run for US Senate in Georgia," September 9, 2020, YouTube, "We Know How to Fight," September 10, 2020; Vote Smart, "Jon Ossoff's Biography," accessed April 8, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. Senate Georgia in 2020.

Polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election. It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees. The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Sarah Riggs Amico	Democratic Party	$2,150,529	$2,149,783	$746	As of December 31, 2020
Marckeith DeJesus	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Maya Dillard Smith	Democratic Party	$26,180	$24,430	$1,750	As of March 31, 2020
James Knox	Democratic Party	$300	$21,826	$3,534	As of June 30, 2020
Tricia Carpenter McCracken	Democratic Party	$10,470	$10,470	$2,162	As of July 15, 2020
Jon Ossoff	Democratic Party	$156,146,538	$151,814,804	$4,331,733	As of December 31, 2020
Teresa Tomlinson	Democratic Party	$2,918,566	$2,908,952	$9,614	As of December 31, 2020
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Endorsements

This section lists endorsements issued in this election. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Click links below for endorsement lists from candidates' websites, where available.

• Teresa Tomlinson

Democratic primary endorsements
Endorsement	Riggs Amico	Ossoff	Tomlinson
Elected officials
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)		✔
U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)		✔
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)			✔
State Sen. Donzella James (D)		✔
State Sen. Michael A. Rhett (D)		✔
State Sen. Freddie Sims (D)			✔
State Sen. Lester Jackson (D)			✔
State Sen. Harold Jones (D)			✔
State Sen. Ed Harbison (D)			✔
State Sen. David Lucas Sr. (D)			✔
State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D)			✔
State Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D)			✔
State Rep. Debbie Buckner (D)			✔
State Rep. J. Craig Gordon (D)			✔
State Rep. Al Williams (D)			✔
State Rep. Pat Gardner (D)			✔
State Rep. Calvin Smyre (D)			✔
Legislative Black Caucus Chair, State Rep. Karen Bennett (D)		✔
State Rep. Derrick Jackson (D)		✔
State Rep. Debra Bazemore (D)		✔
State Rep. Sharon Beasley-Teague (D)		✔
State Rep. Rhonda Burnough (D)		✔
State Rep. Doreen Carter (D)		✔
State Rep. Shelly Hutchinson (D)		✔
State Rep. Sheila Jones (D)		✔
State Rep. Kim Schofield (D)		✔
State Rep. Erica Thomas (D)		✔
State Rep. Miriam Paris (D)		✔
Individuals
Former 2020 U.S. Senate candidate/former Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry		✔
Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes (D)			✔
Former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland (D)			✔
Former U.S. Rep. Buddy Darden (D)			✔
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young			✔
Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Gordon Griffin			✔
Former Georgia Supreme Court Justice Leah Sears			✔
Former state Sen. Jason Carter (D)			✔
Former state Sen. Gail Buckner (D)			✔
Former state Rep. Tom Sherrill (D)			✔
Organizations
Communication Workers of America-Georgia	✔
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 613	✔
Bricklayers Local 8 Southeast	✔
Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers	✔
Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council	✔
Leadership Now Project	✔
End Citizens United		✔
Women Leaders for the Environment			✔
Democracy for America			✔
National Organization for Women PAC			✔
Asian American Advocacy Fund			✔
National Women's Political Caucus			✔

2017

See also: Georgia's 6th Congressional District special election, 2017

U.S. House, Georgia District 6 Special Election Runoff, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Karen Handel	51.8%	134,799
	Democratic	Jon Ossoff	48.2%	125,517
Total Votes				260,316
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

Republican Karen Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in the June 20, 2017, special election runoff to represent the 6th Congressional District of Georgia.

It was the most expensive U.S. House race in history. The two campaigns, along with outside organizations, spent more than $50 million on the election. Although Handel held the advantage with outside groups spending money on the race, the Democratic effort to flip this congressional seat, which has been held by a Republican since 1979, began early. Ossoff raised $8.3 million in the first quarter of 2017, where recent Democratic candidates raised no more than $45,000 in the general election. In April and May, Ossoff raised an additional $15 million. Handel raised $4 million, relying on national political figures like President Donald Trump in May and Vice President Mike Pence in June to helm fundraisers. Although Handel's fundraising paled in comparison to Ossoff's, she outraised recent Republican candidates by more than $2 million.

Tom Perez, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said that his party's investment in the race was part of a larger effort to improve party infrastructure across the country. "We're investing heavily here in the Georgia six race, but I'm traveling across the country. We're building strong parties everywhere. That's what we have to do because that's where we fell short in the past. We allowed our basic infrastructure to, you know, to atrophy and we have to build strong parties," he said. This spending was driven primarily by out-of-state contributions, which Handel and conservative outside organizations highlighted in critical campaign ads.

This special election was one of the first chances since 2016 for the Democratic Party to reduce the Republican House majority. When asked about the importance of the race, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R), who represented the district for two decades, told Ballotpedia, "I do think Republicans have to pay attention, and I think it would be a big mistake to allow this district to go to Ossoff, partly because of the psychology nationally, and partly because once a relatively talented person gets in office, it’s really hard to get rid of them."

The Democratic Party had not held Georgia's 6th District since before Gingrich's first election in 1978. However, Trump's victory margin of 1.5 percent over Hillary Clinton in the district in the 2016 presidential race signified that the district could be competitive. Comparatively, Mitt Romney (R) won the district by a margin of 23.3 percent in 2012, and John McCain (R) defeated Barack Obama (D) by 18 percent in 2008. Republicans suggested that Ossoff's failure to win in the district, despite an infusion of cash, was evidence that Democrats would not have electoral success in 2018.

Ossoff was a first-time candidate who previously worked in D.C. as a legislative aide to Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) for five years and as a documentary producer. Ossoff campaigned against Trump's policies and emphasized small business growth, affordable healthcare, preserving Medicare and Medicaid, and national security. He was characterized as more of a centrist than a progressive by New York Magazine, The Washington Post, National Review, and The New York Times. Handel, who served as the Georgia Secretary of State from 2007 to 2010, supported the Trump administration's position on healthcare and the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, although she rarely mentioned the president by name while campaigning. She instead focused on promoting conservative principles and economic issues such as improving the tax code for small businesses.

This was the fourth congressional special election of the year and the third won by a Republican.

U.S. House, Georgia District 6 Special Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jon Ossoff	48.1%	92,673
	Republican	Karen Handel	19.8%	38,071
	Republican	Bob Gray	10.8%	20,802
	Republican	Dan Moody	8.8%	17,028
	Republican	Judson Hill	8.8%	16,870
	Republican	Kurt Wilson	0.9%	1,820
	Republican	David Abroms	0.9%	1,639
	Democratic	Ragin Edwards	0.3%	504
	Democratic	Ron Slotin	0.3%	491
	Republican	Bruce LeVell	0.2%	455
	Republican	Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan	0.2%	415
	Republican	Keith Grawert	0.2%	415
	Republican	Amy Kremer	0.2%	351
	Republican	William Llop	0.2%	326
	Democratic	Rebecca Quigg	0.2%	304
	Democratic	Richard Keatley	0.1%	229
	Independent	Alexander Hernandez	0.1%	121
	Independent	Andre Pollard	0%	55
Total Votes				192,569
Source: Georgia Secretary of State

Campaign themes

2020

Jon Ossoff completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ossoff's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I run a small business that exposes corruption, organized crime, and war crimes for news organizations worldwide. My wife Alisha is an OB/GYN physician, and we both grew up in Atlanta. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and a Master's of Science from the London School of Economics. Before embarking upon my career in journalism and media production, I worked as a national security aide for Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson, handling defense and economic policy. Since 2013, I have been the CEO of Insight TWI, a 30-year old media production company that produces investigations of corruption, organized crime, and war crimes that are broadcast internationally to a global television audience of hundreds of millions. In recent years, we have investigated and exposed sexual slavery of women and girls by ISIS, crooked judges, foreign officials who steal U.S-funded food and medical aid, contract killers, human traffickers, war crimes, and bribery.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Too many Georgians can't afford health care. The high cost is driven by the corrupt influence of the insurance and drug industries in Washington - a devastating product of our broken campaign finance system. In the U.S. Senate, I'll work to make quality health care a simple, affordable, and reassuring reality for ​all of us by supporting​ Medicaid expansion, a crackdown on price gouging, expansion of the U.S. Public Health Service, and federal investment in health clinics. I'll vote to add a nonprofit public option to the ACA exchange while defending every citizen's right to private insurance.
• Lobbying and political contributions should not buy bailout money, unfair subsidies, or impunity for labor and environmental abuses. But as long as money buys political influence, our government's policies will favor the most powerful special interests. The health insurance, pharmaceutical, and fossil fuel industries have bought the allegiance of my opponent, Sen. David Perdue, and he in turn has voted in their interests rather than Georgia's interests. I run a business that investigates bribery and the abuse of power worldwide. I'm not taking contributions from corporate PACs, and my first act in the Senate will be to back a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.
• The government's financial safety net for Wall Street is vast & instantaneous, while help for ordinary people & smaller firms has been meager & slow. Rather than relying on subsidies for investment banks as economic stimulus & hoping benefits trickle down, I'll support policies that help Georgia's families make & save more money: fast & direct emergency relief during economic crises, lower taxes for all but the wealthiest, debt-free public college, free vocational training, & health care guaranteed at an affordable price. And to create millions of jobs, revitalize our economy, and alleviate poverty, I'll support a historic infrastructure program to lay the foundation for decades of prosperity, sustainability, and health.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about delivering a historic infrastructure & clean energy package to create millions of new, good-paying jobs & make the U.S. the world leader in renewable energy and sustainability. I'll push for big, overdue investments in transportation & transit, clean energy, energy efficiency, public health, communications, research & development, emergency response, & environmental cleanup. These investments will create job training & employment opportunities for millions of American workers & demand for products made by American businesses. They will revitalize our economy & lay the foundations for decades of prosperity, environmental sustainability, & health. Upgraded infrastructure will make life safer & more convenient, support commerce, attract investment, protect our environment, & improve our health. Money spent on infrastructure is truly an investment in America with positive returns across the economy & dramatic improvements to our quality of life.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign ads

"Conversation with Rep. John Lewis" - Ossoff campaign ad, released May 26, 2020

"Calling on You" - Ossoff campaign ad, released May 26, 2020

"Heroes" - Ossoff campaign ad, released April 20, 2020

"Investigate David Perdue" - Ossoff campaign ad, released April 7, 2020

"Save Lives During the COVID-19 Outbreak" - Ossoff campaign ad, released March 17, 2020

"We Know How to Fight" - Ossoff campaign ad, released September 10, 2019

A sample ad from the candidate's Facebook page is embedded below. Click here to see the candidate's Facebook Video page.

2017

The following issues were listed on Ossoff's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Our Economy: Jon is a small business owner, executive, and entrepreneur — the CEO of a company that produces documentaries investigating organized crime and political corruption. He knows what it means to grow a company, meet a payroll, and balance budgets. Jon has a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics, where he specialized in trade relations between the US and China. Health Care: It is in our strong national interest that every American have quality, affordable health care. Whether it’s a newborn just home from the hospital, a mother battling cancer, or a veteran returned from overseas, our health isn’t negotiable. Our quality of life, our strength, and our prosperity depend on it. Civil Liberties & Civil Rights: Throughout our history, patriots, abolitionists, civil libertarians, suffragettes, and civil rights heroes have made huge sacrifices to advance liberty and justice for all. We should continue striving together toward a more perfect union. Jon will fight for our civil liberties to ensure that every American is free to determine the course of their own life so long as they don’t harm others. Jon will oppose cynical attempts by politicians to win elections by undermining Americans’ hard-fought, sacred voting rights. Women’s Health & Planned Parenthood: Jon will defend women’s access to contraception and a woman’s right to choose and fight any legislation or executive action that would allow insurance companies to discriminate against women. National Security: Jon is a former national security professional who understands the threats America faces and the complexity of international politics. When he was a national security staffer on Capitol Hill, Jon held a top secret security clearance and worked with our military and intelligence community to keep Georgians safe. In Congress, Jon will push for a tough, smart foreign policy that protects our national security while avoiding reckless, destabilizing missteps like the Iraq War.	”
—Jon Ossoff's campaign website

Career

• Present: Managing director and CEO of Insights TWI, a filmmaking company that produces documentaries focused on international investigative journalism.
• 2010-2012: Campaign staffer serving as deputy communications chief and campaign manager for Johnson.
• 2010-2012: Senior legislative assistant to Johnson.
• 2007-2010: Legislative correspondent to Rep. Hank Johnson (D).
• 2005: Intern for Rep. John Lewis (D).

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

It was reported on May 7, 2017, that Ossoff was engaged to marry Emory University medical student Alisha Kramer.

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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External links

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Footnotes

[show]

Georgia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jon Ossoff (D)

Raphael Warnock (D)

Representatives

District 1

Earl Carter (R)

District 2

Sanford Bishop (D)

District 3

Brian Jack (R)

District 4

Hank Johnson (D)

District 5

Nikema Williams (D)

District 6

Lucy McBath (D)

District 7

Rich McCormick (R)

District 8

Austin Scott (R)

District 9

Andrew Clyde (R)

District 10

Mike Collins (R)

District 11

Barry Loudermilk (R)

District 12

Rick Allen (R)

District 13

David Scott (D)

District 14

Vacant

Republican Party (8)

Democratic Party (7)

Vacancies (1)