Let’s get this out there right up front: Retired state employees on fixed income don’t have much extra cash to spare. Nevertheless, Betsy and I are writing a check today to send to someone we have never met or spoken to. He is Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old former Congressional aide.

Ossoff, a Democrat, is running for a seat in Congress representing Georgia’s 6th district, which was vacated in February when Republican Tom Price was sworn in as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. On Tuesday, Ossoff faced an intimidating lineup of Republican candidates yet received the most votes. He finished a few percentage points below the 50 percent mark that would have earned him an outright victory and a seat on Congress. This means that he now faces a runoff in June against Republican Karen Handel, who became the top runner-up in Tuesday’s special election with just 20 percent of the vote.

Betsy and I want to help him win that crucial race. Trump’s election and his dismal performance as president has mobilized Democrats to go after every available seat in Congress. Democrats see Ossoff’s success on Tuesday as a reason for optimism that they can win more of them and gain key votes. A New York Times report said that Ossoff’s strong showing “will ensure that national Democrats continue to compete  and will increase pressure on the party to contest a special House election next month in Montana that it has so far ignored.”

The more seats Democrats can win in Congress, the better our chances of restoring  sanity to Washington.

Ossoff served as a senior national security staffer in the U.S. Congress, working with military and intelligence community to keep Georgians safe while investigating wrongdoing by government contractors. He writes on his web site: “During five years as a Congressional aide, I learned how to get things done in Washington. On Capitol Hill and as a journalist, I’ve learned how to expose and fight the abuse of power.” If ever there was a need to fight abuse of power, it is now.

If you would like to help Ossoff win his runoff election in June, you can send a check to P.O. Box 450326 Atlanta, GA 31145 or donate on his web site at https://electjon.com.