Ossoff, Jon, 1987-

OSSOFF, Thomas Jonathan (Jon), a Senator from Georgia; born in Atlanta, Ga., February 16, 1987; graduated The Paideia School, Atlanta, Ga., 2005; B.S., Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, 2009; M.S., London School of Economics, 2013; intern in the office of Georgia Representative John Lewis, 2004; legislative assistant for foreign affairs and defense policy to Georgia Representative Hank Johnson 2007-2012; investigative journalist, producer, and CEO of Insight TWI Ltd.; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in the January 5, 2021, general election runoff for the term ending January 3, 2027; took the oath of office on January 20, 2021.

<p>Thomas Jonathan Ossoff (/ˈɒsɒf/ OSS-off; born February 16, 1987) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Georgia since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Ossoff was previously a documentary film producer and investigative journalist.</p>

<p>Ossoff was the Democratic nominee in the 2017 special election for Georgia's 6th congressional district, which had long been considered a Republican stronghold. The special election proved competitive. It generated national attention, and became the most expensive House election in U.S. history. Ossoff narrowly lost the race to Karen Handel.</p>

<p>In mid-2020, Ossoff won the Democratic Party nomination for the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Georgia to run against then-incumbent Republican senator David Perdue. Neither candidate reached the 50% threshold on the November 3 general election, triggering a runoff election on January 5, 2021, which Ossoff won. Ossoff serves alongside fellow Democrat Raphael Warnock, who defeated incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in the 2020 Senate special election runoff, also on January 5, 2021. The two races attracted significant national attention and spending, as they decided which party would control the Senate in the 117th Congress. With Warnock's and Ossoff's victories, Democrats and Republicans each hold 50 Senate seats, but Vice President Kamala Harris's tie-breaking vote gives Democrats an effective majority.</p>

<p>With his victory, Ossoff became the youngest member of the Senate elected since Don Nickles in 1980 as well as the first Jewish member of the Senate from Georgia, the first Jewish senator from the Deep South since Benjamin F. Jonas of Louisiana, who was elected in 1879, and the first Millennial United States senator.</p>

<p>Born and raised in Atlanta, Jon Ossoff is the senior United States Senator from Georgia.</p>

<p>Before his election to the Senate, Jon led a team that exposed ISIS war crimes, atrocities committed by peacekeeping troops, human trafficking, fraud, theft, corruption, corporate abuse, and murder as the CEO of a 30-year-old company that produces investigations of official corruption, organized crime, and war crimes for international news organizations.</p>

<p>Mentored by civil rights legend Congressman John Lewis, Jon previously worked as a national security aide in Congress and as an investigative journalist.</p>

<p>In the U.S. Senate, Jon continues his work fighting for the people and exposing the abuse of power.</p>