ATLANTA — “This was a pretty wild first time candidate experience,” Jon Ossoff reflected, looking back on his failed candidacy to flip a congressional district not far down the road during a Saturday morning panel at Netroots Nation.

Ossoff’s appearance at the annual gathering of progressives was early in the morning, a detail that showed in the dozens of empty seats open throughout the room. Nevertheless, several conference-goers sported bright blue t-shirts with his name emblazoned across the chest.