Here’s one we can win
When it comes to 2026, the House is a strong target for flipping and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is already making clear the districts needed to retake it. Democrats only need three to flip, but it’s better to have a sizable number of seats – not only to rebuke Donald Trump and the GOP’s poor excuse for leadership, but also to set up the ground for 2028 and beyond – giving a future Democratic president the Congress they will need in order to get anything done – particularly when it comes to undoing much of the damage left behind by Donald Trump. The Senate is also crucial – and there are swing seats in which we will need to play defense as well as prime targets for flipping.
One seat is Georgia, where Jon Ossoff is up for re-election next year. The state has become considerably more moderate, due to the influx of new voters in the Atlanta suburbs, but it’s still not quite a blue state – with this being a race decided by maybe between 1-3 points. That means our own efforts can and will make a difference when it comes down to it.
He kicked off his reelection campaign unofficially on Sunday at a rally in Atlanta that made it clear where he stands and why we need him in the Senate: “The president is not at his palace in Florida thinking about whether you can afford day care for your daughter or how to stop insurance companies from denying your claim, or anything that matters to our daily lives,” he shouted, to applause. “When is the last time you even heard Donald Trump talk about health care or child care? He’s talking about invading Greenland.”
It’s one thing to talk about fighting oligarchy – but that slogan is a bit unclear to a lot of people – particularly the swing voters who don’t follow politics and world events much. You need to give people a story and picture they can connect with, and that’s exactly what Ossoff and his fellow Sen. Raphael Warnock did at their joint appearance – declaring that Georgia will not bow down to the rule of a king. This is what fighting back looks like – and it’s a fight we can win if we put in the work between now and next year to re-elect Jon Ossoff.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making