Savannah Morning News
By: Katie Nussbaum
Savannah, Ga. — Light rain and cloudy skies didn’t stop a crowd of about 200 Jon Ossoff supporters from coming out to the Georgia State Railroad Museum to cheer on the U.S. Senate hopeful during a stop on his “Future of Georgia” tour Thursday evening.
Addressing the crowd, Ossoff said for this first time in a while he has hope in his heart.
“Change has come to Georgia, change is coming to America and retirement is coming for Senator David Perdue,” Ossoff said.
Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Ossoff will face off in a Jan. 5 runoff in Georgia for Perdue’s Senate seat, one of two high-profile contests in the state that could determine which party controls the upper chamber.
During his remarks Thursday, Ossoff criticized Perdue for canceling planned debates following a bitter first debate in late October and said he had recently asked for three more debates, but hadn’t gotten a response from Perdue.
“If David Perdue doesn’t want to answer questions in public about his record, about his positions, about his conduct, that’s fine. He just shouldn’t run for re-election in the United States Senate,” Ossoff said.
Ossoff also put an emphasis on healthcare, infrastructure, clean energy and defending Roe v. Wade, saying the only way those things will get done is if both he and Democrat Raphael Warnock, who will also face Sen. Kelly Loeffler on Jan. 5, clench the wins.
“Let’s feel excited about what we can achieve together,” he said.
Ossoff said he was excited to come to Savannah to ask humbly for the support of the people.
“We’re in the midst of a pandemic, we need leaders who are going to empower doctors and scientists to fight this pandemic. I’m excited to deliver resources for public health, hospitals and clinics in and around Savannah, and wanted to make it clear to the people that I’m here to ask for their vote,” he told the media following Thursday’s event.
When it comes to the Port of Savannah, which both Perdue and Loeffler have championed, Ossoff said not only did he see himself stepping into that role, but believes it needs to be a much higher priority.
“This is why I talk so much about infrastructure and how much real investment in infrastructure can do for Savannah and Chatham County and coastal Georgia… We also need to make Georgia a leading producer of renewable energy in the American southeast,” he said.
“There is so much economic pain right now. We can unite Georgians and unite the country behind an ambitious infrastructure plan to jump start the economy and get us out of this economic crisis.”
