Atlanta, Ga. — This afternoon, Georgia Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Jon Ossoff sent the following note to his supporters, reflecting on the incredible life of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and outlining what’s at stake with a new vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Last night, perhaps you felt the same hurt in your heart that I did.
I was just sitting down with Alisha and family for Rosh Hashanah dinner when I got the news.
Justice Ginsburg was a brilliant jurist. Her life’s work made America truer to our founding principle of universal human rights.
She was an ardent champion for American women, advancing gender equality through both her jurisprudence and her personal example.
To lose a giant such as Justice Ginsburg — and on Erev Rosh Hashanah, of all nights — it’s a gut punch.
But now it’s up to us to guard her legacy.
Justice Ginsburg left us with a message.
In her final days, she said, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new President is installed.”
We must do all in our power to honor that wish.
For the sake of the millions whose health care is at risk, and with so much more on line — with voting already underway and at a moment such as this — we must let the people speak at the ballot box, and then let the Court reflect the will of the newly-elected President and Senate.
Within hours of her passing, without allowing even one holy evening for mourning, Mitch McConnell made the grim pronouncement that he would not only ignore Justice Ginsburg’s final wish — but he would shamelessly violate the precedent he set in 2016, when he refused to hold hearings on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee in an Election Year.
None of this comes as a surprise. McConnell is a man unmoored from any guiding principle beyond the ruthless exercise of power.
McConnell is a lost cause. But we will soon discover whether there is even a shred of integrity or principle left in his Republican caucus.
My opponent, Senator David Perdue, was adamant in 2016 that a Supreme Court Justice should not be nominated and confirmed in an Election Year.
Will David Perdue show an ounce of moral integrity and stay true to the principles he claimed four years ago? Or will he bend as he always does to do the bidding of McConnell and the President?
It goes without saying that control of the Senate has never been more important!!!
Democrats need to win four seats to secure the majority — and this race in Georgia is THE MOST COMPETITIVE in the country.
The balance of the Supreme Court is at stake. The implications for future generations are profound.
We must take back the U.S. Senate.
Thank you for being part of this movement for a more just, prosperous, and perfect union.
With love,
Jon Ossoff
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