Ossoff wins in Georgia to become youngest Senator
VAS THE JC went to press it was clear that Jewish Democrat Jon Ossoff had become US Senate’s youngest member on Wednesday as his party flipped the upper chamber following two runoff elections in Georgia.
The 33 year-old former Congressional aide unseated Republican incumbent David Perdue, 71.
““It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate.” Mr Ossoff tweeted.
The race saw Mr Ossoff accusing his opponent of employing the “oldest, most obvious, least original antisemitic trope in history.”
A photograph of the Jewish Democrat in a Republican campaign advert appeared to have been digitally altered to exaggerate his nose. The Facebook ad — which was later taken down — also featured Jewish Democrat Chuck Schumer and the caption “Democrats are trying to buy Georgia”.
Mr Perdue said the alteration had been an “unintentional error”.
Mr Schumer will now serve as Senate Majority Leader, the first Jew to hold the role. Mr Ossoff will become the 37th Jewish person to serve in the US Senate and the first from Georgia.
His victory in the southern state, long a Republican stronghold, could also hold symbolic resonance for its Jewish community.
It comes 105 years after the lynching of Leo Frank in Marietta, Georgia, an incident that helped lead to the creation of the Anti-Defamation League.
The two pivotal runoff elections also saw Democrat Raphael Warnock clinch a historic victory as the f irst Black representative elected to t he S enate i n Georgia.
Both seats delivered control of the Senate to the Democrats in a pivotal win for President-elect Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration later this month.
Both parties will now have 50 seats, with Vice President- elect Kamala Harris serving as the potential tie-breaking vote in her role presiding over the upper chamber.
It comes 105 years after the lynching of Leo Frank’