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Jon Ossoff, a rising star in the Democratic Party, has fueled speculation of a 2028 presidential run following his spectacular show in retaining the Georgia Senate seat. Who is Ossoff, and why are people calling him the next Barack Obama?
Former president Barack Obama greets Democratic candidate Sen. Jon Ossoff during a rally
In 2021, when Democrat Jon Ossoff was first elected to the US Senate from Georgia, political experts dubbed him an "accidental senator". He was 33 and won by the barest of margins. Five years later, Ossoff retained his seat in a state that President Donald Trump won in 2024. The decisive victory has made Ossoff, who is often compared to former president Barack Obama, one of his party's most-watched rising stars and fuelled buzz of a presidential run in 2028.
While the 39-year-old has previously stressed he had no interest in running for President, his victory in Georgia bolsters his status in the Democratic Party, which wrested control of both chambers of Congress in the midterms. A vocal critic of Trump of Jewish descent, Ossoff's win was no mean feat.
WHY JON OSSOFF'S WIN MATTERS?
Ossoff was perhaps the most vulnerable Senate Democrat seeking re-election this year. The suave and charismatic leader entered the midterms as the only Democrat trying to hold on to a Senate seat in a state that Trump won in 2024. Holding his seat was critical to the party's hopes of flipping control of the Senate. Georgia voters didn't disappoint.
Several point to his rousing campaign and his oratorial skills, which have earned him a comparison with Obama. It is perhaps the clearest indication of just how far Ossoff has come in American politics - from working for a UK-based firm that made investigative documentaries to being talked about as a future president in less than 10 years.
In the run-up to the midterms, Ossoff ran an aggressive campaign that went viral for his scathing criticisms of Trump. He accused the president and his family of corruption and his administration of threatening democracy. Clips of him calling Trump and his allies the "Epstein class" and the "Mar-a-Lago mafia" have been the fodder for memes.
An op-ed in The Atlantic said Ossoff, despite being just 39, has mastered the art of getting under the skin of Republicans, without ever seeming ruffled himself.
On Wednesday night, Ossoff did exactly that, delivering a searing rebuke of Trump.
Calling Trump a "failed lame duck president", Ossoff said the American people had "rebuked the depravity, corruption, and incompetence" of the eccentric Republican.
"In the last two years together, we have reaffirmed that our task is not just to contain one president's wickedness but to heal the brokenness beneath," he said at his election night party in Atlanta.
WHO IS JON OSSOFF?
Thomas Jonathan Ossoff was born on February 16, 1987, in Atlanta. He comes from a Jewish family. His father is of Russian and Lithuanian Jewish descent, while his mother is from Australia. Ossoff's family carries a traumatic history. His paternal grandparents fled pogroms in Eastern Europe. Ossoff himself has frequently spoken about growing up among relatives who survived the Holocaust.
His interest in politics began early. At 17, after reading the autobiography of civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis, Ossoff wrote him a letter seeking an opportunity to work with him.
Lewis responded by offering him an internship. The two developed a close bond, and Lewis would go on to become a mentor in Ossoff's political journey.
In fact, Lewis also played an important role in shaping Obama's political legacy. Lewis's leadership in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement helped inspire a young Obama to become a community organiser. The rest is history.
Ossoff completed his graduation from Georgetown University in 2009 before pursuing a master's degree at the London School of Economics. He worked briefly with Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson, handling foreign affairs and defence policy.
For a brief period, he dabbled in investigative journalism and documentary filmmaking. In 2013, Ossoff became the CEO of Insight TWI, a London-based investigative film company that focused on stories of corruption, war crimes, and human trafficking.
He left the firm in 2017 to pursue full-time politics. However, his electoral debut flopped.
Ossoff lost the race to Republican Karen Handel in a special election for Georgia's sixth congressional district. Ossoff, however, was unfazed, and he once again ran to be Georgia's senator in 2021, securing a decisive win. He became the first millennial to serve in the Senate, and the youngest senator elected since 1973.
With his re-election against all odds, Ossoff has only stamped his authority as one of the rising stars of the Democratic Party. He is married to Alisha Kramer, an obstetrician working in Atlanta.
WHY IS OSSOFF CALLED THE NEXT BARACK OBAMA?
A strong orator, just like Obama, Ossoff has a progressive-centrist appeal. In an era of ageing leaders, Ossoff represents a youthful choice. Just like a 47-year-old Obama was seen when he ran for president against 62-year-old George W. Bush in 2009.
They also share a similar public image and style. At several of his rallies, Ossoff is seen addressing crowds with his shirt sleeves rolled up - a look often associated with Obama during his presidential campaigns.
"Ossoff has a visual grammar that looks like Obama in the way that he speaks and positions himself," American commentator and journalist Ezra Klein wrote in an article for NYT.
Even the public thinks so. "I get the same feeling from him as I did with Obama 20 years ago," Patrick Garver, a Georgia voter, told NPR before the elections.
The former president himself praised Ossoff during a campaign rally ahead of the midterms. "There is only one common-sense choice... that is Jon Ossoff. It's because he learned from his mentor and my mentor, one of the greats, John Lewis - what it means to stir up some good trouble," Obama said.
The White House also took a swipe at Ossoff over his Obama comparisons in August. White House spokesman Davis Ingle called him a "cringeworthy, feminine theatre kid cosplaying as Barack Obama".
This was in response to Ossoff's controversial remarks on Trump's aide Natalie Harp. "All the president wants to do is build his ballroom and travel with Natalie," Ossoff had said, sparking a storm.
That's how unabashed Ossoff is. He doesn't mince words.
The spectacular win by Ossoff in Georgia has only ramped up speculation ahead of the 2028 presidential elections. The youthful and charismatic Democrat has all the qualities to be a leading contender. But only if he throws his hat in the ring.
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