Could Jon Ossoff Become the First Jewish President?

It is possible that a record four Jewish candidates will be on a debate stage, vying to become the Democratic nominee for the 2028 presidential election.

Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker has lost weight, but his wallet hasn’t. He is a billionaire, which might not be so attractive to Democrats. Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago mayor and chief of staff to President Barack Obama, has the smarts and the know-how, but voters may see him as too Jewish.

The same of true of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is a great speaker and has taken President Trump to task in his speeches. He’s also down-to-earth enough to appear on a sports podcast to talk about the Phillies and the Eagles, and has a sense of humor. He was once a volunteer for the IDF, which means he never fought anywhere with a gun, but the usual Israel-haters will falsely claim he “served in the IDF” to try to make sure he can’t be the nominee.

Currently, the political pundit class sees California Governor Gavin Newsom, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or possibly former Vice President Kamala Harris, if she could sell a run as a comeback story, as the likely nominee. 

But many are looking at Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff. On Kalshi, he is currently second, at 18%, compared to AOC at 21%. Of course, betting markets can be wrong. But Ossoff has shown an ability to raise money and he’s not afraid to take a shot against Trump. 

Newsom is handsome. He isn’t afraid to debate, having done well on Fox News against Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) in November 2023. If it means getting a Democrat in the White House, criticism over him eating at The French Laundry during the COVID lockdown, the high-speed rail project and the Palisades Fire could be downplayed. When it comes to looking and sounding slick and smooth, you won’t get better than Newsom. 

AOC is riding the energy of the Democratic Socialists of America, and the announcement that she is freezing her eggs (which is her right and has received too much criticism) is seen by some as likely signal for a presidential run. She will have to overcome her lack of knowledge on foreign policy. But she can get up to speed in a year.

On CNN in July, the host of “The Story Is With Elex Michaelson” said Ossoff “may not read as Jewish” as Shapiro. Political commentator Eric Messersmith spoke about the elephant in the room. “But on the Jewish thing, because he is Jewish, he might be the Democrat that could thread the needle,” he said. “Because even though he’s Jewish, he’s been very critical of the Israeli government, very critical of Benjamin Netanyahu … He has credibility on this issue …”

Michaelson added that “as a Jew, some people read a little more Jewish than other people, and Jon Ossoff may not read as Jewish as Josh Shapiro does, for whatever that’s worth.” Michaelson later apologized on social media, but the gist of what he said was correct, if he’s speaking about someone viewed as pro-Israel. Shapiro is also a very Jewish-sounding name, while Ossoff is not.

Ossoff was also discussed on a recent episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher.” The Georgia senator had said the president “wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar,” referring to Natalie Harp, an aide to Trump. In response, Trump called Ossoff “Pee-Wee Herman.”

Dana Bash of CNN, who is Jewish and has covered antisemitism, was Maher’s guest. “What do you think of this new star, Jon Ossoff?” Maher asked. “He’s kind of Obama-esque when he speaks … The problem is he’s Jewish. I know we don’t want to talk about that, but we need to talk about that because that is the situation in the Democratic Party. They think Gaza is a genocide. It is not. There’s an actual meaning to the word ‘genocide.’ It doesn’t come close. But as long as you tag that name, genocide, of course, what kind of normal person would not hate someone who’s responsible for a genocide? And they’ve all just signed onto this because they’re just big on buzzwords and lawn signs and bumper stickers, that’s as deep as they go.”

“And likes on their social media,” Bash added.

Bash said she’d asked Shapiro if he thought a Jewish politician could win a Democratic primary in this environment, but didn’t reveal his answer. 

Ossoff has not claimed Israel has committed a genocide. Michael Morris, publisher of The Atlanta Jewish Times, wrote an open letter to Ossoff claiming the senator threw Jews and Israel “under the bus” with votes blocking weapons and munitions sales to Israel in 2024 and 2025.

But in an op-ed in The Jerusalem Post, Ted Jonas defended the Georgia senator, writing that Ossoff has “always been a proud supporter of Israel.” Ossoff described the war against Iran as “another reckless war.”

Ossoff is a more energetic orator than Newsom. According to Newsweek, Ossoff has a war chest of more than $80 million for his run against Republican Mike Collins, a race that is currently rated a toss-up.

Many would still put their money on Newsom because he looks like he came out of central casting. 

And he’s not a Jew.