Democrat Jon Ossoff has launched a bid to unseat Republican Sen. David Perdue in the 2020 election — setting up a possible high-profile Senate battle next fall that could test the Democratic theory that Georgia is politically turning more blue.
Mr. Ossoff, who lost his bid in the high-profile special election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in 2017, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he will launch his campaign Tuesday and said he plans to build a “grassroots army unlike any this state has ever seen.”
Mr. Ossoff said that he is running against political corruption and that Mr. Perdue hasn’t fought for voters who are struggling to get by.
“This man has not once in five years come down from his private island to hold a single public town hall,” Mr. Ossoff said on MSNBC. “He is a caricature of Washington corruption.”
The field of Democrats running also includes former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry and business executive Sarah Riggs
Things opened up for them earlier this year when Stacey Abrams, who ran for governor in 2018 and became a liberal superstar, passed on the chance to challenge Mr. Perdue.
Ms. Abrams has made the case that Georgia should be a battleground in 2020.
Georgia has not had a Democratic senator since 2005.
But Democrats maintain that Georgia’s varying demographics are changing it politically.
They tested that theory out in the 2017 special election in the race to replace former Rep. Thomas Price, who became health secretary in the Trump Cabinet. (Mr. Price has since left that post).
Mr. Ossoff raised about $30 million but fell just shy of winning the seat outright in the jungle primary and lost by 3 points to Republican Karen Handel in a runoff race.
Ms. Handel, however, went on to lose the once ruby-red seat in the 2018 election to Democrat Lucy McBath.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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