Senator Jon Ossoff: A Record of Bipartisan Achievement and the Battle to Keep Georgia Blue

Daily Intel Report | Listen Free 🎧 | Join the Effort 🫱🏻‍🫲🏾

As President Trump travels to Georgia to campaign against him, Senator Jon Ossoff is showcasing a record of bipartisan achievement that includes protecting children online, fighting corruption in Washington, securing clean water infrastructure, and holding the Trump administration accountable for the Iran war — all while building a commanding 13-point lead over his Republican challenger, Representative Mike Collins.

From Near-Defeat to Senate Powerhouse

Jon Ossoff’s path to the Senate was anything but easy. In 2017, at just 30 years old, he ran in a special election for Congress in Georgia’s 6th District — the first special congressional election of Trump’s presidency. He lost to Karen Handel by more than 3 points, despite becoming a fundraising sensation as rank-and-file Democrats looked for a way to counter Trump.

But Ossoff didn’t give up. In 2020, he ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican David Perdue. Georgia was not considered a top battleground, and the race went to a runoff. In January 2021, Ossoff won by just 54,944 votes — 50.6% to 49.4% — flipping a Republican seat and helping Democrats secure control of the Senate. He defeated Perdue by a narrow margin of 54,944 votes in the January 5 runoff, one of two Georgia runoffs that gave Democrats control of the Senate.

Since taking office, Ossoff has passed more standalone bills into law than any other freshman Senator, and has been named the most bipartisan member of Congress by the Polarization Research Lab.

Legislative Achievements: Protecting Children, Fighting Corruption, and Delivering for Georgia

Ossoff’s record includes over a dozen standalone bipartisan bills passed into law across a wide range of issues:

Protecting Children:

The REPORT Act with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) — for the first time, required websites and social media platforms to report crimes involving federal trafficking and enticement of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The Preventing Child Trafficking Act of 2025 — strengthens coordination between DOJ and HHS to prevent child trafficking.
The Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act of 2023 with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) — strengthens federal protections against the sexual abuse of children, including online exploitation.
The Supporting Victims of Human Trafficking Act — cuts red tape to better respond to service organizations working with trafficking victims.

Fighting Corruption:

Bipartisan legislation to ban congressional stock trading.
Introduction of legislation to ban corporate PACs.
An “A+” rating from End Citizens United on their 2026 Anti-Corruption Scorecard.

Investigative Oversight:

Led a 10-month bipartisan investigation into corruption, abuse, and misconduct at FCI Atlanta, uncovering long-term failures of federal prison administration that likely contributed to loss of life.
Led an 8-month investigation into sexual abuse of female prisoners, uncovering that BOP employees sexually abused female prisoners in at least two-thirds of federal prisons that have held women over the past decade.
Passed the Federal Prison Oversight Act into law, mandating routine inspections of all 122 federal prison facilities and establishing a new Ombudsman to investigate the health, safety, welfare, and rights of incarcerated people and staff.
Awarded the prestigious Carl Levin Award for Effective Oversight in 2024 for his bipartisan investigations.

Clean Water Infrastructure:

Introduced and passed an amendment through the Senate Appropriations Committee to increase funding by nearly 50% for the Reducing Lead in Drinking Water grant program.
Delivered over $36 million through the bipartisan infrastructure law for lead pipe replacement projects across Georgia.
In 2023, delivered $119.8 million through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for water infrastructure upgrades across Georgia.

Economic Development:

Cosponsored the bipartisan Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act to study manufacturing critical infrastructure in the U.S. instead of importing it.
Delivered $75 million through the CHIPS Act to Absolics to strengthen domestic semiconductor production in Covington.
Introduced the American Tax Dollars for American Solar Manufacturing Act to prevent Chinese companies from using tax credits intended for American solar manufacturers.
In 2023, delivered a historic $80 million federal grant to Blue Bird to expand manufacturing facilities and build electric school buses.
His landmark legislation to establish an expanded solar manufacturing tax credit was signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Healthcare:

Voted to cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month.
Voted to require drug companies to negotiate lower costs for seniors on Medicare.
Delivered over $1.7 million through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to hire and train more mental health counselors for Georgia schools.
Delivered $1.2 million to Egleston Children’s Hospital at Emory University to train and retain more pediatric physicians.

Veterans:

Passed bipartisan legislation to expand veterans’ access to mental health care.
Championed passage of historic legislation to strengthen VA health care for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

The Battles Ossoff Has Overcome

Ossoff’s political career has been defined by overcoming steep odds:

The 2017 Loss and Comeback: After losing the 2017 special election to Karen Handel, Ossoff could have faded into obscurity. Instead, he ran for Senate in 2020 and won in a runoff, flipping a Republican seat.
The 2020 Runoff: Ossoff won his Senate seat by just 54,944 votes — a margin of about 1.2% — in the midst of Trump’s election denial campaign in Georgia. Trump tried to overturn Biden’s victory in the state and pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to recalculate the results.
Building Bipartisanship in a Divided Congress: Despite serving in a Republican-controlled Congress, Ossoff has passed more standalone bills than any other freshman Senator and has been named the most bipartisan member of Congress — a remarkable achievement in an era of intense polarization.
Holding the Trump Administration Accountable: Ossoff has emerged as one of the most aggressive Democratic voices against Trump’s Iran war and election denial. In a recent Senate hearing, he methodically used Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s own words against him, repeatedly asking whether Hegseth’s early claims of victory in Iran were accurate. The exchange went viral and contributed to Hegseth’s subsequent meltdown under questioning from Senator Gary Peters.
The 2026 Reelection Campaign: Ossoff is running for reelection against Trump-backed Representative Mike Collins. Trump has attacked Ossoff in Georgia, calling him “terrible” and likening him to the comedic character Pee-Wee Herman. Despite Trump’s attacks, Ossoff leads Collins by 13 percentage points in a Fox News poll.

The Bottom Line

Senator Jon Ossoff has built a record of bipartisan achievement that includes protecting children, fighting corruption, securing clean water infrastructure, and holding the Trump administration accountable. He has overcome steep odds — a 2017 congressional loss, a narrow 2020 runoff victory, and a Republican-controlled Congress — to become one of the most effective and outspoken Democratic senators in the country.

With a 13-point lead over his Republican challenger and a $20 million fundraising haul in the second quarter, Ossoff is positioned to defend his seat and help Democrats retake the Senate majority. But the battle is far from over.

The people must pay attention. The people must speak out. And the people must vote.

What You Can Do Right Now

Check Your Voter Registration. Visit your state’s election website or Vote.org to confirm your registration and update your address.

Support Democratic Senate Candidates. Donate, volunteer, or spread the word about candidates like Senator Ossoff who are fighting for working families, protecting children, and holding the Trump administration accountable.

Speak Out. Contact your members of Congress. Tell them you support bipartisan legislation that delivers for working families and protects our democratic institutions.

Talk to Your Neighbors. Many people don’t know about Senator Ossoff’s record of achievement. Spread the word.

Support the Efforts. Support Democrats at every level who defend the right to vote and protect our democratic institutions like Senator Ossof. Join the effort for a better America at fightforthepeoplepac.com and Democrats.org. Be the voice.

Sources

UNICEF USA: “UNICEF USA Honors Sen. Ossoff as 2025 ‘Champion for Children’” (November 20, 2025)
End Citizens United: “Sen. Ossoff Recognized for Leading Efforts to Stop Corruption in Washington” (January 21, 2026)
Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy: “Sen. Ossoff Awarded Prestigious Carl Levin Award for Effective Oversight” (December 9, 2024)
Polarization Research Lab: “Sen. Ossoff Named Most Bipartisan Member of Congress” (July 28, 2025)
United States Senate: “Sen. Ossoff Secures Bipartisan Support to Remove Lead Pipes from Drinking Water Systems” (August 5, 2025)
United States Senate: “Sen. Ossoff Working Across the Aisle to Bolster Georgia’s Economic Development” (December 28, 2025)
Associated Press: “Sen. Ossoff fuels reelection campaign with attacks on Trump” (July 17, 2026)
HuffPost: “Jon Ossoff Slowly Pushes Hegseth Over The Edge By Using His Own Words Against Him” (July 21, 2026)
NewsNation: “Trump rails against Ossoff and ‘Democrat communists’ in Georgia speech” (July 21, 2026)
Ballotpedia: “Jon Ossoff” (Accessed July 23, 2026)
United States Senate: “About Jon” (Accessed July 23, 2026)

Written and comppsed with AI.