Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) insisted again in a Tuesday night debate that he has “zero interest” in running for president.
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When Atlanta Journal-Constitution chief political reporter Greg Bluestein asked if Ossoff would commit to serving out a full second, six-year term, the senator emphatically replied he will.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, both Democrats whose White House ambitions are obvious, did not commit to finishing second terms when asked during debates this month.
Ossoff isn’t taking the steps politicians usually do before entering a presidential primary, and much of the 2028 buzz is coming from outsiders drawn to his talent. As Bluestein often notes, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) is the Georgia senator actually making presidential moves and hinting at a run.
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Plenty of politicians vow they won’t run for president and do so anyway. Bill Clinton promised in a 1990 Arkansas gubernatorial debate to serve another four-year term. Barack Obama in a January 2006 interview promised to serve out his six-year term as Illinois senator.
In a 2018 Senate debate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) said she would “of course” serve a full six-year term. She ran for president the next year. Now she’s running for governor, and again promising to not run for president if elected.
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