The Jewish senator the Democratic Party has its eye on | Profile

A profile of Jewish Senator from Georgia, Jon Ossoff, describing his personal background, political career, rivalry with Trump, and complex relationship with Israel. Ossoff, marked as a Democratic promise, ranks third in polls despite his statements that he has no interest in the 2028 presidential race.

An extensive profile of Senator Jon Ossoff, the Jewish Democrat from Georgia, describing him as a political promise the Democratic Party has its eye on. Ossoff insists he has no interest in the 2028 presidential race, but a July Emerson College poll gives him 13% among primary voters, tied with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and in third place after Pete Buttigieg and Gavin Newsom. His immediate test is the November Senate election in Georgia, a state Trump won in 2024. The profile reviews his childhood in a Jewish home in Atlanta, his studies at Hebrew school, his bar mitzvah at the reform synagogue 'The Temple', and his connection to Jewish heritage. He grew up alongside Holocaust survivors, and the Jewish education, he says, instilled in him a commitment to peace and justice. His political career was built around the rivalry with Trump, whom he called a 'criminal president' and compared to King Ahab. His relationship with Israel is complex: he supports Israel's security and a two-state solution, condemned the Hamas attack on October 7, but voted to limit arms sales to Israel due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while accusing the Netanyahu government of 'starving children'.