Message discipline

Dems bank on Ossoff’s message discipline

The Georgia Democrat is heavily involved in cultivating his viral moments on the campaign trail.

Calen Razor

One of the marquee midterm races for Senate Democrats dreaming of a party takeover is between two candidates who are no strangers to cultivating viral moments.

But Democrats are banking on Sen. Jon Ossoff, with his tightly-choreographed campaign, ultimately prevailing over Rep. Mike Collins in the Georgia Senate race.

Democrats are looking to defend a state President Donald Trump won by just over two percentage points in 2024. Two years later, any misstep could carry enormous consequences.

However, Georgia Democrats and others who have worked with Ossoff — or seen him behind-the-scenes — say he is meticulous about how he communicates and oversees all the details of his campaign’s work. Michael Vainisi, a content strategist who has worked with Democratic presidents and senators in the past, described Ossoff’s speeches as “optimized for clipping.”

Ossoff’s speech over the weekend was no exception: From a Midtown Atlanta rally stage, he quipped of Trump, “He doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace, gifted by the Emir of Qatar.” He was referencing Natalie Harp, the president’s executive assistant.

The one-liner has since drawn backlash from Republicans — but also over 5 million views on X.

“He’s very, very involved in almost anything that kind of has his name on it or comes out of him,” said Seth Clark, a Georgia Democrat who has worked with Ossoff on statewide legislative priorities.

One Democratic operative close to the campaign said, “there are no decisions that get made that he doesn’t sign off on.”

Collins is also known for doing his own messaging and using social media to develop a personal brand. During the 2023 GOP speakers’ race, he gained national attention for peppering his social media feed with memes of his party’s chaotic sprint to replace Kevin McCarthy.

His X posts have also gotten him into trouble. In May 2024, for instance, Collins captioned a video of white students at the University of Mississippi taunting a black pro-Palestine protester with: “Ole Miss taking care of business.” He later had to issue a statement clarifying he did not condone “any form of discrimination — racism or otherwise.”

Public polling shows Ossoff currently leading Collins in the Georgia Senate race.