Young, telegenic and tough on Trump, could Ossoff be the new Obama?
Aaron Sorkin’s flashback episode West WingLeo McGarry and Josh Lyman travel to New Hampshire to hear then-governor Jed Bartlet give a speech to a small crowd in the basement of a restaurant as he prepares to run for president.
Today, in the 24/7 news world, the stage for presidential wannabes is much bigger. And if one is looking for a potential Democratic candidate who stands out from the pack, one can easily head to Atlanta, Georgia, to find Jon Ossoff.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently put himself on the map with a scathing speech about corruption and American democracy as the 39-year-old Peach State senator campaigns to retain his Senate seat, the only Democratic senator seeking re-election in a state Trump won in 2024.
He has already drawn comparisons to former president Barack Obama for his oratory style (though some argue this is exaggerated) and for being a young senator who could emerge as an alternative to a more established field of candidates if he so chooses.
“He impressed a lot of people with his approach, which basically combined a relatively modern ideological stance with a very tough approach to dealing with Trump,” says Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist and author at Emory University in Georgia.
“He cares deeply about corruption, and I think that’s something I expect a lot of Democratic candidates to pick up on this fall.”
The partisan crowd at the Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta went wild for Ossoff’s speech last Monday night, but clips of the speech ricocheted across the country. Two in particular attracted attention on social and traditional media.
Ossoff drew attention to Trump’s increasingly crazy social media posts; that weekend, there were 52 posts and reshares in six hours; among them was an AI image of his face carved into Mount Rushmore.
“When he’s not shipping, he’s trying to rob us,” Ossoff said. “He filed a 10 billion dollar compensation lawsuit against the US government, which he commanded.” [$14 billion]. He then settled the case with himself to create a $1.8 billion slush fund so he could cut checks issued to his cronies and the Jan. 6 foot soldiers. Donald Trump’s brown shirts. He forgave them and now wants you to pay them.
“He’s trying to show his face for money, see? He’s building a monument to himself. He’s doing these things now because no one will honor him when he’s gone. Because he’s a failed president and a national disgrace.”
Democrats’ disdain for Trump is hardly new. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is likely a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination if votes are held today, has led the charge, using his own rhetoric against Trump himself. But for many supporters or independents who dislike Trump, no one has yet passed.
“There is a feeling among the vast majority of Democratic voters that their party leaders are not standing up to Trump enough,” Abramowitz says.
“In some ways, that’s unfair. It reflects a lack of understanding of the limitations that Democratic leaders in the House and Senate face right now in terms of their ability to oppose Trump because they’re in the minority in both chambers. So when someone like Ossoff makes a speech like that, I think a lot of Democratic voters hear that and say, ‘Oh, that’s what we want, more of that.'”
Much of this frustration is directed at the Democrats’ 75-year-old Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, and to a lesser extent, the 55-year-old Hakeem Jeffries in the House. After a decade of federal politics dominated by aging leaders—Trump, Joe Biden, and Trump again, along with the likes of Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi—Ossoff looks and sounds like a breath of fresh air. “That definitely helps,” says Abramowitz.
It also helps that Ossoff is telegenic. And in a speculative field seemingly dominated by white men (Newsom, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, Pete Buttigieg, Rahm Emanuel among them), Ossoff is a white man from the south; A winning combination for Democrats in Bill Clinton.
“Everybody thinks he’s very persuasive,” says Ira Shapiro, a former Senate staffer and former Clinton administration trade envoy.
“The way he spoke and the way he came across on television really set him apart. He’s also at a great age to potentially appeal to Democrats who are looking for a new generation of leadership.”
Ossoff’s age profile, demeanor and rhetorical skill have drawn comparisons to Obama, who rose to national prominence with his famous speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 before his meteoric rise to the U.S. Senate.
Abramowitz says such comparisons are unfounded, especially since Obama is the first African American president; but he also notes that Ossoff will be the first Jewish president. “There will never be another Obama. Obama was a unique political talent.”
Ossoff has another asset if he chooses to run: He comes from Georgia, a key swing state, and is in Democrats’ must-win column to carry the White House in 2028.
“Georgia is one of those states that a Democrat doesn’t necessarily have to carry to win the presidency, but it will also make it a lot easier,” Abramowitz says. “If a Democrat wins Georgia in the presidential election, they are very likely to win the election. [Ossoff] “He could also be a strong candidate in North Carolina.”
Primary calendar now looks different depending on the period West WingWhen the road starts in Iowa and New Hampshire. The starting state for the Biden administration is South Carolina, and there is pressure within Democrats to restart the process in the south.
In any case, a group of southern primaries are likely to be held together. “If that happens early and is successful at that, that could be a boost,” Abramowitz says.
He and Shapiro emphasize that it is too early to seriously consider who might have a strategic advantage in the primary race. While Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are clear Republican favorites, Democrats are likely to have a wide field.
“Democrats have very good reasons for this, given several serious policy failures and the failure to prevent President Biden from running for a second term. This was a terrible failure for the party,” Shapiro says.
“One thing about our campaigns is that political competition leads to the next candidate, and the result is an extraordinarily talented person.”
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political correspondent in Canberra.Connect with: X or email.
