Senator Jon Ossoff had barely finished his opening statement during Tuesday night’s Senate debate in Georgia when he got the question.
“Senator Ossoff, you’ve repeatedly said you won’t run for president in 2028, but your name continues to surface as a potential contender,” said Greg Bluestein, the chief political reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “So will you pledge right now tonight to serve your full, six-year term if you win?”
Mr. Ossoff, a Democrat, did not hesitate.
“Yes, I will,” he said. “I have zero interest in running for president. I’m not running for president. I’m running for re-election to the Senate.”
Then, without missing a beat, he pivoted to drawing a contrast with his Republican challenger, Representative Mike Collins, tying him to President Trump’s unpopular tariffs and to higher grocery prices. The senator gave another smooth and aggressive debate performance, the type that surely will only add to Democratic speculation about how Mr. Ossoff, the rare Democratic incumbent from the South who is widely popular, might make a strong candidate for the White House.
Mr. Ossoff’s answer about 2028 seemed unequivocal. But American politicians from both political parties, especially those focused on winning re-election, have a long history of saying they are not thinking about running for president — only to later change their minds. That list includes former President Barack Obama, who told the longtime “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert in 2006 that he would “absolutely” serve a full Senate term.
We all know what happened next. Times and personal considerations change.
Mr. Ossoff has been consistent throughout his Senate run that he is focused on nothing else but returning to the Senate. Yet his formidable fund-raising, deft use of social media videos and powerhouse political operation have continued to feed the chatter about 2028. Mr. Ossoff started the cycle with the oft-repeated label of most vulnerable Democratic senator seeking re-election and now leads so consistently in polls that Republicans have pulled some of their advertising money in Georgia to make better use of it in other tossup states.
Mr. Collins used the 2028 question as an opening to attack his opponent, saying he agreed with Mr. Bluestein.
“He is running for president,” Mr. Collins said.
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