Barack Obama has appeared to relish the final days of the midterm campaign, taking the stage as races across the country entered their closing stretch.
He poked fun at Donald Trump’s White House decorations, laughed at the administration’s response to events and brought his trademark humor to campaign stops across Michigan and Ohio.
But his appearance in Georgia may have carried the greatest political significance.
Jon Ossoff, seeking another term in the Senate, was described by the still-popular former president as the “only common-sense choice in this race.”
Voters appeared to agree. On Tuesday night, Ossoff won re-election comfortably, with the independent election monitor Decision Desk projecting his victory just 18 minutes after polls closed.
CNN political analyst Kasie Hunt went even further, declaring: “Tonight is Day One of Jon Ossoff’s presidential campaign.”
Obama, it seems, may share that view.
At the October 28 rally, he offered a series of remarks that are likely to attract attention: “And it’s not just because he’s so put-together. It’s not because he looks like a Kennedy, all handsome in the videos.
“It’s because he learned from his mentor, and my mentor — one of the greats, John Lewis — what it means to stir up some good trouble. That’s what he’s been doing on your behalf.”
Sharing a mentor with Obama and learning from one of America’s defining civil rights leaders would be notable enough. Then there is Ossoff’s appearance, which has inspired social media accounts dedicated to his increasingly muscular physique. Menswear commentator Derek Guy has also pointed out that Ossoff’s trousers often appear unusually snug around the seat, prompting speculation that “his backside is larger and rounder than… most brands account for.”
Whatever the jokes about his looks, Ossoff could hardly have received a more valuable political gift from Obama if he is thinking beyond his re-election and toward 2028.
On Tuesday night, the prediction market Kalshi gave Ossoff an 18 percent chance of winning the presidency in 2028, putting him ahead of California Governor Gavin Newsom at 14 percent. Vice President JD Vance remained the favorite, narrowly leading at 20 percent.
If Jon Ossoff was looking beyond Tuesday’s midterm vote toward 2028, Obama’s endorsement could hardly have been a better political gift
Obama called Senate candidate Jon Ossoff the “only common-sense choice in this race”
Ossoff, who turns 40 in February, knows better than to embrace presidential speculation so early.
In April, the father of two young daughters said he had “zero interest in running for president in 2028.” He warned that indulging in “fantasy football” about the next presidential contest could distract from the issues facing voters now.
He was asked the same question again during an Atlanta Press Club debate on October 13, when he was pressed on whether he would serve a full six-year Senate term if re-elected.
“Yes, I will,” he replied. “I have zero interest in running for president.”
Still, supporters are quick to point out that other politicians have made similar statements — including the man standing beside him on October 28.
In January 2006, Obama, then an Illinois senator, was asked whether he could commit to serving a full six-year term.
“So, you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?” the NBC moderator asked.
“I will not,” Obama replied. He announced his presidential campaign the following year.
For Ossoff’s backers, the parallels with Obama continue.
Young and energetic, Ossoff is still relatively new to the Senate, having first been elected in 2021. Obama won his Illinois Senate seat in 2004.
Both men have been praised for their speaking skills and command of media. Before entering politics, Ossoff worked as a documentary filmmaker.
He also generated hours of coverage by provoking Donald Trump over his close aide Natalie Harp, who is frequently seen at the president’s side. In August, while discussing the controversy surrounding the Qatari presidential aircraft, Ossoff said Trump would rather “build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace” than do his job.
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The White House reacted furiously. Ossoff’s campaign, meanwhile, was delighted by the attention.
Beneath the polished image, there is also a substantial policy overlap between Ossoff and Obama.
Speaking to an energized crowd in Atlanta’s southern suburbs, Obama said Ossoff had “exposed the abuse of Georgia’s foster kids, passed the law forcing tech companies to crack down on child predators, took on the drug companies, capped the price of insulin for seniors.”
Social media users have enthusiastically followed what many fans describe as Ossoff’s increasingly muscular physique
Menswear commentator Derek Guy has observed that Ossoff’s trousers often appear unusually tight, prompting speculation about his “larger and rounder” backside
Ossoff is young, energetic and still a relative newcomer to the Senate, having been elected for the first time in 2021
Obama said a second Ossoff term would see the senator “fight to ban health insurance companies from denying coverage that patients need. And he’s going to repeal the tariffs that have sent prices of groceries soaring. He knows we never should have started this unnecessary war in Iran. And he will fight to end it. And he is going to fight for stronger voting rights protections to make sure that every single citizen has a vote, and every vote is counted here in Georgia and across the United States of America.”
Obama is not alone in seeing potential in Ossoff as Democrats survey a wide-open field for 2028.
Pollster Nate Silver told Puck’s The Powers That Be podcast this week that Ossoff looked like a serious contender, naming the Atlanta-born senator his “number one horse” in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic primary.
“I had Jon Ossoff as my first pick, and I would have taken Ossoff first,” Silver said.
He predicted that Ossoff would likely win re-election by a high-single-digit or low-double-digit margin, adding that his ability to unite different Democratic factions was an advantage.
Silver also argued that Ossoff’s moderate profile could become increasingly valuable as Democrats gain ground in states that were once considered reliably Republican. His campaign describes him as “the only Democratic US Senator up for re-election in a state Trump won.”
Progressives such as New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez command passionate support, but their appeal may be more limited in a national contest.
“The expansion of the electoral map into these more red states, where there are mostly moderate Democrats running, has potentially taken a bit of the wind out of the sails of the more progressive Democrats,” Silver said. “I think AOC is a talented politician, but it’s obviously in a lane.”
Even so, Ossoff is aware that his path forward will not be without obstacles.
He became the first Jewish senator from the Deep South since 1878, but his faith could remain a source of opposition among some voters. Ossoff has criticized Israel over alleged violations of international law in Gaza while stopping short of describing the government’s actions as genocide, a position that has drawn criticism from both sides.
His Republican Senate challenger, Mike Collins, has portrayed him as a “radical” and a “trust fund kid who’s never had a job in his life.” Collins has raised about $10 million, compared with roughly $120 million for Ossoff.
Ossoff inherited a significant sum from his grandfather, who co-owned a leather factory in Massachusetts, though he has declined to disclose the exact amount.
Republican challenger Mike Collins has raised about $10 million, compared with Ossoff’s $120 million
Collins has attacked Ossoff as a “radical” and a “trust fund kid who’s never had a job in his life”
During his first Senate campaign in 2020, Ossoff told The Washington Post: “I openly acknowledge that the opportunity I’ve had is a function of my parents’ hard work: the opportunity to get a great education without debt, the opportunity to do what I love and pursue my passion, which is confronting and exposing injustice and the abuse of power.”
The newspaper reported that Ossoff’s Senate-candidate financial disclosure listed his net worth between $2.3 million and $8.8 million. That figure included his documentary company, which he valued at between $1 million and $5 million.
In the era of Donald Trump, such wealth may attract less surprise than it once did.
Ossoff, however, has sought to distance himself from what he calls the “Epstein Class.” His age and relative separation from Washington’s established power networks give him room to present himself as a fresh alternative.
He surely understands the significance of Obama’s comparison to Kennedy. And while Ossoff insists he is not looking toward 2028, his increasingly polished image — and notably more muscular appearance — suggest that he understands the power of presentation.
On Tuesday night, his campaign staged a YouTube watch party broadcast from Atlanta. By the end of the evening, it may have celebrated more than a Senate victory. For some supporters, it looked like the beginning of a coronation.
