Jon Ossoff

Sen. Jon Ossoff and Gubernatorial Candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms are scheduled to hold a campaign event in Savannah.

Ossoff is focusing his campaign on job creation, lowering healthcare costs, and addressing the housing market.

Local Democratic leaders hope the visit will energize voters and highlight the party's focus on working-class issues.

With just four months until the November midterms, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff and Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms will make a campaign stop in Savannah this Saturday, June 27. The event will be held at 2 p.m. and the location is provided upon RSVP.

Ossoff did not have a challenger on the Democratic Primary ticket but will now face off against Republican Senator Mike Collins on Election Day Nov. 3.

Ossoff posted a video of an interview with a media outlet on his Facebook page where he said Georgians should strongly consider if they want Collins representing them for the next six years, saying he has one of the most extreme records in the U.S. Senate.

"While Collins and Trump fuel the worsening cost-of-living crisis, Senator Ossoff has helped bring thousands of good-paying jobs to Georgia, capped the cost of insulin and out of pocket drug costs for seniors, and delivered unprecedented investments in the state’s infrastructure," said Ossoff Campaign Spokesperson Salonee Singh. "The Senator will continue to deliver for Georgians when he’s resoundingly re-elected in November.”

Ossoff has been busy in the Senate this year. A press release from Ossoff's team says he held a press conference in March and urged Congress to take a stand against companies who are buying homes and driving up prices.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act prevents large companies that already own at least 350 single-family homes from purchasing additional single-family homes, with various exceptions. Companies could be subject to fines if they violate the new enactment.

“It's very difficult for Georgia families trying to purchase their first home to compete with huge out-of-state companies who have massive resources and are buying up tens of thousands of single-family homes across metro Atlanta and across the State of Georgia,” said Ossoff in a press release. “That's why we brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass legislation cracking down on large out-of-state companies from buying up single-family homes.”

Another issue Ossoff is eager to address is protecting Tybee Island's shoreline. His team sent out a press release saying the Senator is urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide funding for the beach's renourishment project.

“Beach nourishment at Tybee Island has been a successful partnership between the City of Tybee Island and the Corps for nearly five decades,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle.“Without an allocation of $12 million in FY26 funds, the next beach renourishment will be delayed, jeopardizing both commercial and residential structures on the island and inflicting serious harm on the local economy.”

Ivy Gibbins, chair of the Effingham County Democratic Committee, thinks Ossoff's appearance Saturday is just the spark Coastal Georgians need to not only push his re-election bid but prove the Democratic Party is listening to voters.

The first order of business, according to Gibbins, is for voters to see acts of community service outside the political sphere, saying she has participated in book drives, food drives and more.

"Yes, I’m the chairman but I’m also human," she said. "I am going to put my money where my mouth is. We want to get into a space where politics aren’t. We want to humanize politics again and not make it so disconnected. Politics does impact your day-to-day life. Politics affects grocery prices, schools your kids go to…we need to educate people about that."

John Hartman, president of Young Democrats of Chatham County, said he wants to see the party shift back to its roots.

“One of the biggest things we are focused on is working class issues, affordability and access to health care,” said Hartman. “I want to see the party take that and run with it. The everyday common guy doesn’t get their voice heard. It leaves people burned out and people won’t go to the polls. I want the Democratic Party to go back to being the working-class party.“

Gibbins said she was relieved when she learned that Gov. Brian Kemp opted not to move forward with redistricting. Now, the party is focused on rebranding its image.

The New York Post reported a number of Americans feel "out of touch" and that 70% feel a disconnect stemming from the parties inability to connect on important issues.

"I love that his campaign is coming down again," said Gibbins. "Young voters are ready to get on the ground - this is a startup, a rally call."

Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018-2022 and began working in the Biden Administration in 2022.

According to reporting by Destini Ambus from the Savannah Morning News, "Bottoms' administration delivered historic pay raises for police officers and firefighters, launched child savings accounts for Atlanta Public School kindergartners and built a $181 million budget reserve, according to a press release."

Bottoms vows to lower health care costs and plans to launch the Rural Care First Initiative, which would expand critical services such as telehealth, labor and delivery access and more.

She has also campaigned on plans to attack the housing affordability crisis in Georgia by expanding down payment and renter assistance and streamlining permitting.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at [email protected].