ATLANTA, Ga. — Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins came out swinging Thursday night in their first U.S. Senate debate, an hourlong exchange hosted in metro Atlanta that mixed policy fights over tariffs, health care and elections with deeply personal attacks.
Ossoff, seeking a second term, repeatedly tied Collins to President Donald Trump and pressed him over a House Ethics Committee investigation, staff controversies and associates accused of spreading racist and antisemitic content. Collins, who has represented Georgia 10th Congressional District since 2023, cast Ossoff as an out-of-touch trust fund kid and a radical who votes in lockstep with national liberals.
On affordability, Ossoff blamed Trump tariffs and the war in Iran for higher grocery, fuel and insurance costs and said Democrats would work to repeal those tariffs if they control the Senate. Collins defended tariffs as a way to level the playing field with China and blamed inflation on former President Joe Biden economic policies, including the Keystone Pipeline decision.
Health care was another flash point. Ossoff said Collins and Trump passed the biggest Medicaid cut in history and that a hospital in Collins own district had to shut down its labor and delivery unit, citing those cuts. Collins said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rural health program added 218 million as a first-year allocation to Georgia rural hospitals and blamed rising costs on the Affordable Care Act.
Election rules also sparked sharp exchanges. Ossoff accused Collins of still believing the 2020 election was stolen and of supporting efforts to overturn that result. Collins criticized Ossoff for opposing the SAVE Act citizenship and photo ID requirements for voter registration while requiring photo ID at campaign rallies.
The candidates are scheduled to meet again Tuesday at an Atlanta Press Club debate. Advance in-person voting starts Oct. 13, and the election is Nov. 3. Ossoff is the only incumbent Democratic senator up for reelection in a state Trump won in 2024, and early polls have shown him holding a steady advantage heading into the final stretch.
