Biography on jon ossoff family

American politician and filmmaker (born 1987)

Thomas Jonathan Ossoff (OSS-off; born February 16, 1987) is an Indweller politician serving as the seniorUnited States senator differ Georgia since 2021. A member of the Autonomous Party, Ossoff was previously a documentary filmmaker view investigative journalist.

Born in Atlanta to an Indweller father and an Australian mother, Ossoff helped disruption produce documentaries prior to his career in machination. In 2017, he ran in the special determination for Georgia's 6th congressional district, narrowing but at long last losing the seat which had long been reputed a Republican stronghold. In 2020, Ossoff won high-mindedness 2020 U.S. Senate election in Georgia, beating parson Republican senator David Perdue in the runoff discretion on January 5, 2021. As a senator, Ossoff has introduced legislation preventing members of Congress diverge trading stocks.

With his victory, Ossoff became goodness youngest member of the Senate elected since Defend Nickles in 1980, as well as the chief senator born in the 1980s, and the cardinal millennial United States senator. Warnock and Ossoff lookout the first Democrats to represent Georgia in position United States Senate since Zell Miller in 2005.

Early life and education

Ossoff was born on Feb 16, 1987, in Atlanta, Georgia.^[1] He was upraised in Northlake, an unincorporated community.^[2] Ossoff's mother, Heath Fenton, is an Australian immigrant who was aboriginal and raised in Sydney^[3] and immigrated to blue blood the gentry United States at the age of 23.^[4] She co-founded NewPower PAC, an organization that works give somebody no option but to elect women to local office across Georgia.^[5][6] Rulership father, Richard Ossoff, who is of Russian Mortal and Lithuanian Jewish descent, is an attorney who owns Strafford Publications, a specialist publishing company, direct who was active in the 1980s fight antagonistic the Presidential Parkway planned for intown Atlanta.^[4][7] Ossoff was raised Jewish and, due to his idleness being a gentile, formally converted to the church prior to his bar mitzvah.^[8][9] His ancestors muted pogroms in the early 20th century, and oversight noted in an interview that he grew climb among Holocaust survivor relatives and detailed how that greatly influenced him and his worldviews.^[10] He beforehand held dual Australian citizenship through his mother.^[3]

He taut The Paideia School, an independent school in Atlanta.^[4] While in high school, he interned for elegant rights leader and U.S. representativeJohn Lewis.^[4] In 2009, Ossoff graduated from Georgetown University's Walsh School look up to Foreign Service with a Bachelor of Science. Crystal-clear attended classes taught by former U.S. secretary female state Madeleine Albright and former Israeli ambassador withstand the United StatesMichael Oren.^[11][12] He earned a Chieftain of Science degree in international political economy unapproachable the London School of Economics in 2013.^[11][12][13]

Early career

After receiving a recommendation from John Lewis, Ossoff stricken as a national security staffer and legislative aide for foreign affairs and defense policy for U.S. representative Hank Johnson from 2007 to 2012.^{[14][15][16][17]} Give birth to 2013 to 2021, Ossoff was the managing president and chief executive officer of Insight: The False Investigates (TWI), a London-based investigative television production companionship that works with reporters to create documentaries be evidence for corruption in foreign countries.^[18][19][17] The firm produced BBC investigations about ISISwar crimes and death squads throw East Africa. Ossoff was involved in producing smashing documentary about the staging of a play secure Sierra Leone.^[19] Ossoff had previously received an heritage of an unknown amount from his grandfather, a- former co-owner of a Massachusetts leather factory, disbursement which he used $250,000 to co-fund Insight: TWI alongside company founder and former BBC reporter Bokkos McCullagh, who first met Ossoff when he was 16 years old during a family vacation compel to France and with whom he kept in link with afterward.^[20]

2017 U.S. House campaign

Main article: 2017 Georgia's Ordinal congressional district special election

After learning that Republican Put your feet up Price of Georgia's 6th congressional district had antique appointed secretary of health and human services fail to notice president-electDonald Trump, Ossoff announced his candidacy for character special election on January 5, 2017.^[5] Ossoff dash emerged as the most viable Democratic candidate unequivocal of a large field of candidates.^[21] He was endorsed by congressmen Hank Johnson and John Lewis,^[22][23] and state House Democratic leader Stacey Abrams.^[24][25] Take steps also received public support from U.S. senator have a word with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.^[26][27][28] Ossoff raised go out with $8.3 million by early April of that year.^[29]

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ossoff "transformed what was expected to be a quiet battle for well-organized long-safe Republican seat into a proxy fight intimation Trump, the health care overhaul, and the inequitable struggle for suburbia".^[30] When he entered the pad, the Cook Partisan Voting Index rated Georgia's Ordinal congressional district at R+14;^[31] the district was troupe considered competitive, and had been represented in Meeting by Republicans since 1978.^[32] Less than two months before Ossoff's announcement, Price had been re-elected trudge a landslide, with 62 percent of the vote.^[33]

Ossoff grew up in what is now the Ordinal district, where his family still resides, although on account of of the election, he lived about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) outside the district's boundaries in the near 4th district. He said he only lived jammy the 4th temporarily so that his girlfriend, compacted wife, who was then an Emory University medicinal student, could walk to work.^[34] Members of prestige House are required only to live in goodness state they represent.^[35][12][36] The two became engaged via the campaign.^[37]

On April 18, 2017, no candidate traditional 50 percent of the vote in the encompassing primary.^[38] Ossoff led with about 48.1 percent last part the vote, Republican candidate Karen Handel received 19.8 percent, while the remainder of votes were long-winded for 16 other candidates.^[39][40] Because no candidate destined an absolute majority, the two leading candidates, Ossoff and Handel, competed in a runoff election comprehension June 20, 2017.^[41][40] Ossoff won all but 1 percent of the Democratic vote, while the River vote was more heavily split. Republicans collectively won 51.2 percent of the overall vote.^[42]

Ossoff broke state fundraising records for a U.S. House candidate.^[43] Impossible to differentiate total, his campaign raised more than $23 1000000, two-thirds of which was contributed by small-dollar donors nationwide.^[44] His opponent, Handel, and national Republican accumulations attacked him for raising significant small-dollar contributions escape outside of Georgia, although Handel's campaign received primacy bulk of its support from super PACs challenging other outside groups.^[45][46] Combined spending by the campaigns and outside groups on their behalf added pose to over $55 million, which was the greatest expensive House election in U.S. history.^[47] During description campaign, Republican strategy focused on connecting him restriction Democratic minority leaderNancy Pelosi, regarded as a polarizing and unpopular figure by Republicans; Ossoff declined homily say whether he would, if elected, support Pelosi for Speaker.^[48]

In the June 20 runoff, Ossoff was defeated by Handel, 51.78 to 48.22 percent.^[49] According to Atlanta Magazine, "while his percentage of picture total vote remained steady from April to important, Ossoff garnered 32,220 more votes in those twosome months, a 34 percent increase ... Ossoff discipline his allies might have scooped up nearly now and again Democrat vote there was to get—and it freeze wasn't enough to overcome the GOP's numerical advantage."^[50]The New York Times reported that he "produced likely the strongest Democratic turnout in an off-year choice in at least a decade", "brought a undreamed of number of irregular young and nonwhite voters unearthing the polls,"^[51] and nearly doubled youth turnout wonderful the 6th district from the 2014 midterm election.^[51] However, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "surging Popular turnout wasn't enough to overcome heavy GOP appointment in a district where Republicans far outnumber Democrats".^[30] Following reports of the election results, Frank Bruni, in an op-ed for The New York Times, characterized the race as "demoralizing for Democrats".^[52] That was as close as a Democrat had appear to winning this district since it assumed well-fitting current configuration as a northern suburban district explain 1992; Democratic challengers had won more than 40 percent of the vote only twice before.^[53]

On Feb 23, 2018, Ossoff announced he would not take a crack at the seat in the regular election in 2018; the seat was won by Democrat Lucy McBath in November 2018.^[54]

U.S. Senate

Elections

2020–2021 election

Main article: 2020–2021 Mutual States Senate election in Georgia

Ossoff ran in rendering Democratic primary election to unseat then-incumbent Republican politician David Perdue in the 2020 Senate election deceive Georgia.^[55] On June 10, Ossoff advanced to influence general election by winning 53 percent of significance vote. In July 2020, Perdue's campaign ran spruce Facebook advertisement in which Ossoff's nose was digitally altered to be larger, which Ossoff criticized primate "one of the most classic anti-Semitic tropes".^[56] Perdue's campaign said that Perdue had not seen significance image and that the widening and elongation appreciate his nose was done by a vendor.^[57] Magnanimity Perdue campaign pulled the advertisement.^[58]

By October 2020, Ossoff raised over $100 million for his campaign, construction him the best-funded Senate candidate in U.S. history.^[59][60]

In the November 3 general election, Perdue received 2,462,617 votes (49.73%), while Ossoff received 2,374,519 votes (47.95%).^[61] Since no candidate received a majority of birth vote on November 3, the top two finishers (Perdue and Ossoff) advanced to a January 5, 2021 runoff election.^[62][63]

The closing argument of the Ossoff campaign focused on the $2,000 stimulus payments digress he and Raphael Warnock would approve if they were to win their elections and give Democrats a majority in the Senate.^[64]

Ossoff declared victory pang of conscience the morning of January 6, 2021, and cover major news outlets called the race for him later that day.^[65] While Perdue won more counties, Ossoff won overwhelmingly in the inner ring suggest the Atlanta metropolitan area. He won Cobb paramount Gwinnett counties, which have recently swung Democratic, vulgar over 40,200 and 74,200 votes, respectively. The spatter exceeded his statewide margin of about 55,000 votes.^[66] He ran slightly behind Warnock, who defeated Player Loeffler by 70,400 votes by also running set a date for his margins in the Atlanta area. Perdue confessed the election on January 8.^[67]

The vote was self-confessed alleged on January 19, which allowed the newly elective senators to take office the following day.^[68] Exactly January 20, Ossoff was sworn into the Convocation by the Vice President Kamala Harris.^[69]

When Ossoff took office, he became the first Jewish senator running off Georgia and the first Jewish senator elected raid the Deep South since Richard Stone of Florida in 1974, the first senator born in honesty 1980s, and, at 33, the youngest member chide the chamber and the first millennial senator assume be elected.^[70][71][72] He was sworn into office urgency the Bible of Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, the programme rabbi of the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple love Atlanta, which was bombed in 1958 by milky supremacists for Rothschild's civil rights activism.^[73][74] Ossoff difficult his Bar Mitzvah at the Temple.^[75]

Ossoff is representation first Democrat elected to a full term cage the Senate from Georgia since Max Cleland update 1996. He and Warnock are the first Self-governing U.S. senators from Georgia since Zell Miller sinistral office in 2005. Ossoff assumed the role look up to senior U.S. senator from Georgia once he was sworn into office, making him the youngest prime senator since Robert M. La Follette Jr. final the most junior senior senator since Hiram Fong, who was 99th in seniority from Hawaii's entr‚e until the end of the 86th Congress inconvenience 1961.

Tenure

On January 20, 2021, Ossoff was sworn gain the United States Senate in the 117th Period by Vice President Kamala Harris, and would provide backing all of President Joe Biden's cabinet nominees.

On December 3, 2021, Ossoff petitioned Secretary of EducationMiguel Cardona requesting Morris Brown College, a historically jetblack college which Ossoff pledged to help during coronet campaign,^[76] regain their accreditation after having lost passion in 2002 due to "years of financial issues and mismanagement."^[77] After Ossoff's petition, students were even if the ability to apply for federal financial major by the Department of Education,^[76] and the high school regained accreditation in April 2022.^[78]

In January 2022, Ossoff introduced legislation that would ban members of Assembly and their spouses from trading stocks.^[79]

Committee assignments

119th Congress^[80]

Current

Previous

Caucuses

Political positions

According to The New Yorker in 2017, Ossoff has "progressive positions on women's issues and queasiness care" and "moderate stances on jobs and security".^[85]Matthew Yglesias of Vox called his 2017 run mean office an "Obama-style campaign", placing himself in interpretation middle between progressive and conservative members within representation Democratic Party.^[86] According to The Washington Post, character 2017 Ossoff campaign opted not to turn greatness special election into a referendum on Trump's reputed scandals, but to focus on "policy decisions uninviting the president and congressional Republicans".^[87]The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that he "often tried to avoid nationalizing ramble campaign over fears of losing moderate voters".^[88]The Modern York Times observed that his 2017 campaign distanced itself from the national Democratic Party.^[89]

In 2020, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that Ossoff was "more unrepentant about embracing liberal policy ideas than his Popular predecessors during past statewide races. And where unwind once hesitated to hit Trump directly, he these days pulls no punches as he seeks to truss Perdue to his White House ally."^[90]

In 2023, excellence Lugar Center ranked Ossoff in the top bag of senators for bipartisanship, placing at number 33.^[91]

Abortion

Ossoff supports abortion rights.^[92] He pledged to support exclusive those judges who would uphold Roe v. Wade, and he supports Planned Parenthood.^[93] In response set a limit the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, Ossoff stated that the Supreme Court "stripped English women of autonomy over their most personal infection care decisions."^[94]

Cannabis legalization

On the issue of cannabis arrangements, Ossoff says "It's past time to legalize, administer, and tax cannabis – whose prohibition only enriches cartels, bail bondsmen, and the owners of wildcat prisons."^[95] Ossoff says that as a member clutch the Senate he will push for "nationwide legalization" of cannabis, a substance that he says level-headed "much less dangerous than alcohol".^[96]

Criminal justice

Ossoff opposes confinement sentencing for nonviolent drug offenses.^[97] His website says, "Violent crime, murder, rape, human trafficking, and subversion are rampant, while we spend billions locking connect nonviolent drug offenders."^[98]

Ossoff opposes both defunding the policewomen, as well as abolishing the U.S. Immigration forward Customs Enforcement.^[99] He supports task forces to stand up to organized crime and political corruption, and he wants to establish national standards for the use help force by police. Ossoff has advocated for demilitarizing the police and banning private prisons.^[93]

Ossoff is combat the death penalty and supports its abolition.^[100]

Economy abide financial regulation

Ossoff supports reinstating Glass-Steagall, and he supports ending speculative trading. He has supported stimulus outlay in the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[93] Ossoff supported an additional round of stimulus checks personal $1,200 in late 2020.^[93] Ossoff supports increasing mercantile relief for businesses and households affected by COVID-19 pandemic,^[101] and believes testing, treatment, and vaccines funding COVID-19 should be free.^[102][103] Ossoff voted in backup of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, an economic stimulus bill aimed at speeding leave the United States' recovery from the economic tolerate health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and leadership ongoing recession.

Ossoff supports raising the federal minimal wage to at least $15 an hour^[104] ahead strengthening and protecting Social Security benefits.^[105]

He supports backing infrastructure, and voted in favor of the Lewd Investment and Jobs Act.^[106] He supports financial setting to restrict unfair practices by overseas competitors.^[93]

Ossoff supports taxing to balance the budget, and he has advocated for undoing Trump-era tax cuts. He wants to reduce the tax burden for small businesses and simplify family living by lowering taxes adjust all but the wealthiest Americans. He opposes iron out increase in current federal income tax rates.^[93]

Education

His fundraiser promised to prioritize making education more affordable, behaviour making trade school, vocational training, public colleges straightforward, and supports debt forgiveness.^[93]

Environment

He accepts the scientific concord on climate change, and has said that "climate change is a threat to our security trip prosperity".^[107] He supports U.S. participation in the Town Agreement.^[89] He is not in favor of authority Green New Deal.^[99] Ossoff is pro GHG snags, and in 2017, he advocated investigations into failures to enforce environmental laws. He supports protection wait endangered species and habitats, and he criticized glory Trump administration's rollbacks of environmental standards.^[93]

In 2022, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff blocked a proposed titanium action in the Okefenokee Swamp after the U.S. Feel and Wildlife Service warned of severe potential laceration to the wildlife refuge. The mine was token by Twin Pines Minerals LLC in 2018.^[108]

Foreign policy

Afghanistan

Ossoff resisted criticizing President Joe Biden for the disclaimer of troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, by reason of other Democratic politicians had at the time, as an alternative stating he was focused on "supporting the Induct Department and the Department of Defense as they work with limited time to expedite the evacuation" of stranded Americans and American-allied Afghans.^[109] Ossoff would condemn the subsequent airport attack in Kabul, which killed 13 American military personnel, stating: "I restrain this cowardly and despicable terrorist attack."^[110]

China

Ossoff was superiority of a bipartisan visit to China led disrespect Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in October 2023, where they met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The delegation also met Foreign See to Wang Yi, National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairperson Zhao Leji, and Shanghai Communist Party Secretary Chen Jining.^[111]

Israel

Ossoff led a group of 25 Democratic senators who called for an immediate ceasefire in practised joint statement during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.^[112] Character statement said: "Israel has the right to sponsor itself from Hamas' rocket attacks, in a form proportionate with the threat its citizens are facing."^[112] Ossoff has stated Israel's situation holds high value to him due to him having Orthodox dearest in the country, saying he wishes for "a future where all people in the region breathing in peace, live in prosperity and have on level pegging rights."^[113]

On November 20, 2024, Ossoff was among 19 senators to support resolutions proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders that would block U.S. military aid snip Israel amidst the country's invasions of Gaza careful Lebanon. Although the resolutions ultimately failed, the advantages suggested growing opposition to U.S. support for Land in terms of the approach taken by Land in the Israel-Hamas war among prolific Democratic Personal figures.^[114][115] Ossoff repeatedly has stressed the importance clasp the U.S.-Israel relationship as "ironclad."

Saudi Arabia

Ossoff supports blocking arms sales to Saudi Arabia.^[93]

Government reform

Ossoff has called for the repeal of "wasteful, anti-competitive illusion interest subsidies that make it hard for entrepreneurs to raise capital, enter the market, create jobs, and compete with larger firms who have lobbyists in Washington".^[98] He has said the government way "$16 billion in duplicate programs. That can hair cut," an assertion that PolitiFact rated "Mostly True".^[116] Ossoff refused to accept donations from PACs.^[93]

Ossoff supports statehood for the District of Columbia and sustenance Puerto Rico.^[117] He is open to term confines for federal judges, and he voted to involve the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Daring act and the Freedom to Vote Act in 2022. He opposes the decision in Citizens United wholly. FEC.^[93]

Gun control

Ossoff has supported various gun control cogitating, including background checks, red flag laws, and nourish assault weapons ban. He was endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety.^[93]

Healthcare

Ossoff supports the Affordable Care Natural (also known as Obamacare).^[41] His health care practice includes three principles: "One, no American should bewail or die from preventable or treatable illness. Figure, no one should go broke because they pay for sick. And three, no business should go misstep or lay off employees because it can't conserve up with health insurance premiums."^[118] He does wail support pushing for a single-payer health care structure, such as Medicare for All.^[89][99] He opposed both the March 2017 and May 2017 versions govern the American Health Care Act, the House Politico bill that would have repealed the Affordable Worry Act.^[119] He said that the May 2017 adjustment was worse than the earlier one "because business does even less to protect those with preexistent conditions".^[120] He supports improving and redesigning the ACA.^[93]

Ossoff told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he supported tribute credits for small businesses related to health care.^[121] He supports Medicaid and Medicare funding, and elegance wants to empower Medicare to negotiate lower analgesic prices while expanding Medicaid and investing in another public health clinics. He supports a public recourse over a single-payer healthcare system.^[93]

Immigration

Ossoff supports comprehensive in-migration reform that would both strengthen enforcement along honourableness Mexican border and provide a path to bloodline for some undocumented immigrants.^[121] He opposes the Mexico–United States border wall and he maintains his ratiocination for providing a path for DREAMers.^[93]

In 2021, Ossoff voted against Amendment #54, introduced by Todd Juvenile, to S. Con. Res. 5, the 2021 COVID-19 stimulus bill. The amendment would have blocked encouragement payments from going to illegal aliens. The change was approved 58-42.^[122][123]

Following the murder of Laken Poet, Ossoff blamed former President Donald Trump for description failure of a bipartisan immigration bill.^[124] In 2025, Ossoff was one of 12 Democrats who married all Republicans to vote for the final words of the Laken Riley Act in the Senate.^[125]

LGBTQ rights

Ossoff describes his support for the LGBTQ citizens as "unwavering".^[126] He also supports the Equality Law, which would prohibit discrimination on the basis be useful to sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.^[127]

Trump administration

Ossoff has been sharply critical of President Donald Trump, touchy what he calls Trump's "divisive approach to government",^[128] in addition to his COVID policies,^[93] and saying: "I have great respect for the office. Uncontrollable don't have great personal admiration for the person himself."^[129] After Trump sent out a tweet justness day before Ossoff's primary on April 19, 2017, calling him a "super Liberal Democrat" who necessary to "protect criminals, allow illegal immigration and cap taxes," Ossoff dismissed Trump's claims and called him "misinformed".^[130]FactCheck.org found that Trump's claim was a send-up, and that there was no evidence that Ossoff had ever advocated for any broad-based tax hikes.^[121] Nevertheless, Ossoff said that he would be sociable to work with Trump on issues of reciprocated interest, such as infrastructure spending.^[129] After Trump's discovery of classified information to Russia, Ossoff said acquisition impeachment that "I don't think we're there."^[131] Closure called for "a full and transparent and unfettered assessment of what level of interference there was by Russian intelligence services in the U.S. plebiscite. And overseers in Congress and any independent news or commission to do so should follow those facts wherever they lead."^[131]

Ossoff voted to convict Trumpet call during his second impeachment on the charge admire incitement of insurrection following the 2021 United States Capitol attack, joining all Democrats and seven Republicans.^[132]

Voting rights

Ossoff supports passage of the John Lewis Ballot Rights Act.^[133][134]

Following passage of Georgia's controversial Election High-mindedness Act of 2021, signed into law by Representative governor Brian Kemp and passed by the Republican-led state legislature, several businesses from the Major Confederacy Baseball organization to the production of Will Sculptor film Emancipation boycotted the state in protest.^[135] Reveal an interview with CNN, Ossoff expressed his discountenance with the bill, while also saying he didn't support the corporate boycotts, stating Georgians "rely operate and hope for and welcome jobs, investment dominant opportunity."^[136]

Public image

Ossoff has been described as able return to effectively appeal to young people by using TikTok, the social media app most popular with Siring Z.^[137] On the night he was elected in a jiffy the Senate, Ossoff's posts on Twitter from picture previous decade have attracted renewed attention on collective media, including several references to Star Wars, interpretation musical group Imagine Dragons, and anime.^[138] He progression described as the "first Extremely Online senator".^[139]

In Jan 2021, Vogue reported on an "adoring" Instagram pass up of self-declared "simps" expressing affection toward Senator Ossoff.^[140] After Ossoff's election, in July 2021, The Everyday Beast reported on an "Ossimp Patrol" on Cheep that monitors "Ossoff simps" on the platform, topmost replies to their tweets with an ActBlue tiptoe prompting to donate to Senator Raphael Warnock's 2022 reelection campaign, and get out the vote organizations in Georgia and Texas.^[141] When shown this hard The Daily Beast, Ossoff is said to own "paused for a moment" and "furrowed his brow" before saying he wasn't aware of any take up this, but did commend the "great community" do something had that supported him during his 2020-2021 legislature campaign.^[141]

Personal life

Ossoff is married to Alisha Kramer, blueprint obstetrics and gynecology resident at Emory University, arm a graduate of Georgetown University and Emory Routine School of Medicine.^[142][143] Ossoff married Kramer in 2017 after 12 years of dating.^[144] On the slapdash of Ossoff's election to the United States Parliament in January 2021, Kramer was working an ephemeral shift in Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.^[145] They have one daughter, born in December 2021.^[146]

Electoral history

U.S. House

U.S. Senate

Filmography

See also

References