Georgia Democratic Senate nominee Jon Ossoff said Saturday he is in self-quarantine after his wife Alisha Kramer, an Emory University physician, contracted the coronavirus.
Ossoff, who is challenging U.S. Sen. David Perdue, said his wife has mild symptoms and that he’s also feeling ill. He was tested Saturday and is awaiting results.
After winning the crowded June 9 primary outright, Ossoff hasn’t held an in-person event in at least a month. His campaign spokeswoman, Miryam Lipper, said he’ll remain in isolation until he and his wife are cleared by physicians.
“We will keep the public informed with updated information, but right now we are just praying for the family’s health and full and speedy recovery,” she said.
Kramer has played a prominent role in Ossoff’s campaign. His first 30-second TV ad during the primary featured his wife’s role in the fight against the coronavirus before pivoting to an attack on insurance firms.
He also responded aggressively to an online attack from a Republican group that falsely claimed he was “shamed” into marrying Kramer.
The two have dated since high school and lived near Emory University, where she was a third-year medical student, when he launched the 2017 campaign for Congress that made him a national Democratic figure.
He frequently cited her need to be close to the university when pressed about why he lived outside the suburban Atlanta district.
Kramer’s now an OB-GYN resident in Atlanta who testified against the anti-abortion measure that passed the Legislature last year. Ossoff cited those restrictions, now tied up in a court battle, when he announced his bid for Senate.
He’s also frequently criticized the Republican-led response to the pandemic, including a tweet on Saturday highlighting the rapid increase in coronavirus cases in Georgia.
The pandemic has transformed political campaigns and shaped Georgia’s two U.S. Senate races.
Sarah Riggs Amico, who finished in third-place behind Ossoff in the June race, recently revealed she was recovering from the virus. And U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, who is challenging fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, self-quarantined for two weeks in March after he was exposed to someone with the disease.
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