Jon Ossoff

The Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff is suddenly the name on everyone's lips. With his careful oratory and intangible 'it factor' comparisons have been made with a young Barack Obama. But who is the thirty nine year old from Atlanta? Born in 1987 Ossoff grew up in Georgia where he attended The Paideia School, a private school in the wealthy neighbourhood of Druid Hills. While still at school Ossoff wrote to the civil rights leader and U.S. representative John Lewis who offered Ossoff an internship. After graduating from high school he attended Georgetown University before moving to London to study at the London School of Economics. While in London Ossoff founded a media company where he worked as an investigative journalist producing films about corruption and human rights abuses. In 2017 he made his first foray into politics when a seat became available in his native Georgia. Despite being a complete unknown Ossoff broke fundraising records for a U.S. House candidate and received a large share of the vote. He didn't win the first time instead securing a seat in 2021. As a Jewish Democrat in a state with strong Republican support many say that Ossoff has his work cut out. Yet he appears to have mass appeal. Vouched for by Congressman John Lewis Ossoff has won the trust of many of Georgia's black voters. He's also developed a reputation for forensic takedowns of his opponents in government recently hitting the headlines after taking a crack at Donald Trump and his assistant Natalie Harp. Ossoff has said he has no plans to run for president himself but as veteran Democrat strategist Hank Sheinkopf observes "He would say that wouldn't he?" Production: Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Annabel Deas and Bethan Ashmead Production Coordinator: Sabine Schereck Sound: James Beard Editor: Justine Lang