Jon Ossoff Moves To Center In Bid For Georgia House Seat

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By Daniel J. Solomon June 14, 2017

Jon Ossoff, the Democrats’ hope in a Georgia House race, has been trying to move to the center in a bid to woo moderate voters, promising to fight income tax increases and vote against single-payer healthcare.

“I’m not that interested in labels or litmus tests,” Ossoff told Politico. “I’m interested in delivering results that requires bipartisanship and that’s what voters in this district want.”

Ossoff, a former congressional staffer, is running in a Republican-leaning district once represented by current Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. His bid has been powered by millions of dollars in donations from progressives, but he has tried to tailor his message to the district.

“People would be happier if [Ossoff] was running more progressive, but at this point, when Democrats are in the minority, we have to support the candidates who have a good chance of winning,” strategist Joan Kato told Politico.

Voters in the suburban Atlanta district will head to the polls next Tuesday to choose between Ossoff and Republican opponent Karen Handel. They were the top two finishers in April’s first-round election.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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