Stacy Abrams Won’t Run For Georgia Senate but Jon Ossoff Might

Georgia in the 1990’s and early part of the 2000’s was a deeply Red State where Democrats had little chance. That tide has started to turn in recent year. While candidates like Stacy Abrams and Jon Ossoff were not able to win their races, they had very promising showings in their governor and congressional races.

Georgia was expected to be a competitive state in the 2020 election. It became more interesting early this week when Republican senator Johnny Isakson announced his retirement. While Abrams said she won’t seek the site, sources say that Ossoff probably will.

Isakson said of his decision, “After much prayer and consultation with my family and doctors, I have made the very tough decision to leave the U.S. Senate at the end of 2019. It has been the honor of a lifetime serving the state of Georgia. This decision pains me greatly, but I know it is the right thing to do.”

While Georgia Governor Brian Kemp will choose an interim senator, the seat will be up for grabs in 2020. Abrams said via Twitter, “Our thoughts are with Senator Isakson and his family … While she will not be a candidate herself, she is committed to helping Democratic candidates win both Senate races next year.”

Statement from my spokesman: pic.twitter.com/0smIAb5ptA

— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) August 28, 2019

Ossoff, however, could be considering another run for office after his close 2017 race against Karen Handel and reportedly has a significant war chest.  Buzzfeed news says that Isakson’s announcement, “made Ossoff more likely to run, with some kind of a formal announcement about his intentions coming soon.”