Why Jon Ossoff's Senate Win In Georgia Is Making History
Jon Ossoff's win in the Senate runoff election in Georgia on Jan. 6, 2021, gave Democrats the control they needed to hold a 50-50 majority in the Senate. The American politician defeated incumbent Sen. David Perdue 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent, causing a tense scene in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday afternoon (via The Associated Press).
Ossoff rose to victory alongside Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock, who won Georgia's other runoff election. Rev. Warnock triumphed over GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler by just 1.6 percent. Democrats will now hold 50 seats in the Senate as of Jan. 20, 2021, the day President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will have the authority to heave tie-breaking votes.
Ossoff and Rev. Warnock's wins come amid panic and hysteria in Washington. Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and forced Congress officials to shelter in place just as they were set to officially count the Electoral College votes. Protests continue in the nation's capital despite a strict 6 p.m. curfew (via CBS Baltimore).
But for Democrats, supporters of Ossoff and Rev. Warnock are celebrating. Aside from being the next Democratic senator in Georgia, there's plenty of other reasons why Ossoff's win is going down in history. Keep scrolling to find out the impact of his victory.
Jon Ossoff will be the first Jewish senator in Georgia
When Jon Ossoff takes his seat as the Democratic senator of Georgia on Jan. 20, 2021, he will go down in history for many reasons. Starting off, he will be the first-ever Jewish senator elected by the state of Georgia (via Rolling Stone).
He will also be the first Jewish senator from the southern region of the U.S. to hold a seat since the 19th Century. That's not all, though. Ossoff's win makes him the youngest Democratic senator since our very own President-elect Joe Biden took his oath 48 years ago in 1973.
Ossoff began his journey in politics years ago, but he first announced his candidacy in Georgia's 6th congressional district election in 2017 (via NPR). Since then, he has vowed to "ensure every Georgian has great health care, to deliver historic investments in clean energy and infrastructure, to rebuild this economy so working families and small businesses thrive, and to root out corruption so government serves the people," his website states.
Prior to his career in politics, Ossoff was a media executive and investigative journalist (via ElectJon.com). Since 2013, he has served as the CEO of the investigative media production Insight TWI. Ossoff is also married to his wife, Alisha Kramer, who is an obstetrics and gynecology physician.
It looks like Democrats have a lot to look forward to in Georgia.