Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff took a hard stance in favor of sanctuary cities during a virtual town hall with young Democratic voters ahead of Georgia’s crowded Senate primary on Tuesday.
As he hopes to court young, liberal voters, similarly to his strategy during his initial bid for Congress in 2017, Ossoff touted the anti-enforcement immigration talking points pushed by the far-left when asked about local law enforcement officers enforcing federal immigration law:
“I don’t think it’s the role of local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law, and here’s why. It is important that there be bonds of trust between local law enforcement and local communities,” Ossoff told the virtual audience. “We can’t live in a society where people are afraid to call the police while someone’s being assaulted in their home, because everyone’s going to get their papers checked when the local PD arrives.”
Before seeking Georgia’s Senate seat, Ossoff ran in the special election for former Rep. Tom Price’s seat as he assumed duties as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration. His $23 million dollar bid for Congress, to represent a district in which he was not even a resident, ultimately ended up as a GOP hold. Given the nature of Georgia’s primary, if the one-time congressional candidate does not reach 50 percent of the vote over his two Democratic rivals, a runoff primary will occur in August; the latest polling, coupled with his substantial advantage in name identification, puts Ossoff in a favorable position ahead of Tuesday's primary:
A new @cygnal poll of likely Democratic primary voters shows Senate candidate @ossoff within striking distance of winning next week’s primary outright. He’s at ~49%, Tomlinson at 16%, Amico at 8%. About 24% undecided. #gapol #gasen pic.twitter.com/apZ7veTO3q
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) June 2, 2020
If victorious on Tuesday, or in an eventual runoff primary, Ossoff will face GOP incumbent Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) in November.