Georgia Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has voted in line with the Biden administration 97% of the time, appears to be trying to alter his image less than two years before what’s expected to be a tough reelection campaign.
Ossoff, who defeated then-incumbent Sen. David Perdue in 2020, has said he would like to work with the Trump administration, calling himself "one of the most bipartisan members of the Senate," the Washington Examiner reported.
Popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is rumored to be considering challenging Ossoff in the swing state in 2026. Kemp, with an approval rating of 63%, is term limited.
Ossoff seems to be aware that Kemp’s political future could affect him directly.
"For four years we have been laying the groundwork and are already building the most effective, the most massive and the best resourced effort to empower an overwhelming and victorious coalition in 2026," Ossoff said in a statement to the Examiner. "This will be the biggest and most effective turnout effort in the history of Georgia politics."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month reported Ossoff has pressured Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga., to step down as Georgia Democratic Party chair. The move comes with Democrats across the U.S. assessing what went wrong for them in the 2024 election, when Republicans won the White House and control of both the House and Senate.
"These are ongoing conversations among Democrats in Georgia. I don’t have anything public to add today," Ossoff said after being asked whether he asking for Williams to step down.
With Georgia returning to its red roots in this year’s election, Ossoff may try to remind voters of when he appealed to their warm feelings toward Israel in 2020.
Writing in the Atlantic Jewish Times then, Ossoff explained that his Jewish identity has played a major role in his convictions.
But a Gaza war between Israel and Hamas and loud calls from progressives to stop sending Israel money and weapons to defend itself has softened his resolve.
He voted in favor of two failed resolutions that would have limited U.S. weapons sales to Israel, the Examiner reported.
That prompted 50 Atlanta establishment Jewish institutions to criticize Ossoff, who even was rebuked by the rabbi of the temple where he celebrated his bar mitzvah.
Earlier this month, the AJT ran a story with the headline, "Ossoff Has Fences to Mend."