ATLANTA—Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff defeated Rep. Mike Collins, backed by President Donald Trump, in Georgia’s race for a seat in Congress’s upper chamber.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, a Democrat, was onstage as the race was called.
“I’m ready to work with Democrats in all positions across the state,” Dickens said.
Ossoff, who ran unopposed in his primary earlier this year, raised nearly $116 million throughout his reelection bid and spent about $105.8 million.
Collins raised $9.7 million and spent $9.2 million.
While Collins ran on a platform that promised to support Trump’s agenda, Ossoff made the opposite a focal point of his campaign.
The incumbent senator vowed to stand against Trump and Republicans in Congress.
During a rally on Oct. 28 with former President Barack Obama in Morrow, Georgia, Ossoff said the Trump administration was putting on a “spectacle of graft unprecedented in American history,” vowing to bring individuals involved in alleged widespread schemes before Congress to testify.
Jamie Carson, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, told The Epoch Times via email that Trump’s endorsement of Collins was useful to rally the Republican base.
But the president’s backing also had a tradeoff, Carson said, as the closer Collins tied himself to Trump, the more difficult it became for him to appeal to independents and dissatisfied Republican voters.
The latest polling ahead of Nov. 3’s results showed that trend, the professor said: “Trump [remained] quite popular among Republicans but [was] substantially underwater among Georgia voters overall, particularly independents.”
Ossoff frequently presented the 2026 midterms as a chance not just for restoration of Democrats but as an opportunity for reformation of the government.
The senator also vowed to expand Medicaid and increase affordable housing.
Often on the campaign trail, Ossoff described the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC as “the most destructive court decision in modern American history.”
The 5–4 ruling held that, under the First Amendment’s right to free speech, corporate funding of independent political broadcasts during elections cannot be restricted. Ossoff promised his supporters he would work to reverse that decision, even if it took a constitutional amendment.
Ossoff often accused Collins of having campaign staffers that were tied to white-nationalist groups.
During the rally with Obama, Ossoff said his opponent was surrounded by neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
Collins has repeatedly denied the accusations, addressing them during a debate with Ossoff in October.
“I condemn any sort of hate speech, anti-Semitism, hate of any kind,” Collins said. “It’s abhorrent and I’ve fired people when things happen.”
Maurice Wise Sr. requested the day off from long-haul truck driving to ensure he could cast his ballot for the incumbent senator and other Democratic candidates down the ballot. When asked why he voted for Ossoff, he said, “His honesty.”
“He seems to care about the people,” Wise said. “He knows that he works for us.”
The Dooly County voter gave some advice for Ossoff as well.
“Don’t sit up there and lie about things. Just go ahead and do what you need to do for the people, and then everybody will see about you,” Wise said. “Scratch our back, we’ll scratch his back.”
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