Senator Jon Ossoff’s Georgia seat as Republican challenger Mike Collins faces a difficult path, trailing amid unfavorable polling and a Democratic fundraising advantage. The two faced off in a debate Thursday evening, clashing over tariffs, taxes, immigration and more. Ossoff narrowly won his election in 2020, as the race went to a runoff versus David Perdue.
Ossoff won by less than 55,000 votes in a spread of 50.61 percent to Perdue’s 49.39 percent. President Donald Trump flipped the swing state during the 2024 presidential election versus then-Vice President Kamala Harris. He has also thrown his support behind Collins in the U.S.
In the latest survey by Wedgewood Polls, Ossoff leads Collins by 10 percent as prediction markets also show him as the clear favorite. The Cook Political Report rates the races as Likely Democrat. Newsweek reached out to both Ossoff and Collins' campaigns following the debate for comment Thursday night.
In Thursday night’s debate, the two clashed over key policy platforms like trade, immigration, Trump and more. Below are highlights of the candidates' wrangling for the U.S. Senate seat: Collins was asked about his plan to help make life more affordable for Georgians, saying he wants to continue to be energy independent and export goods out of the port in Savannah.
Ossoff said he'd like to repeal tariffs put in place under the Trump administration, while also bashing the rising cost of diesel and ground beef, saying they are crushing Georgia families. Ossoff also pointed to the ongoing war in Iran that is contributing to the soaring price of gasoline. Ossoff was asked about his plan for lowering healthcare and insurance premiums during the debate and he said price transparency is key.
He also called for expanding Medicaid, while bashing Collins for voting to allow Affordable Care Act benefits to lapse. Collins called out insurance companies, saying they are the ones "getting rich." He touted Trump RX, the president's platform to combat rising prices for prescription drugs, while also saying there should be price transparency for consumers. Ossoff said there needs to be a federal privacy law in place to protect Americans from Big Tech companies and Flock cameras.
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