Georgia Senate debate: Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins clash in fiery first encounter

Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and Republican Representative Mike Collins traded sharp personal insults and clashed over the economic policies of Donald Trump and Joe Biden during their first televised debate on Thursday night.

The hour-long encounter in Atlanta, hosted by WANF-TV, quickly degenerated into a bitter exchange over the candidates' backgrounds and associates. Ossoff repeatedly labelled Collins a "bigot", pointing to controversial social media posts by the congressman's son-in-law and a former staffer that promoted white nationalist content, as well as a video Collins himself shared of white students mocking a Black woman. "It’s not just that you’ve hired half the Third Reich to staff your congressional office," Ossoff said. "It’s that you’re robbing your constituents to subsidise your donors."

Collins rejected the accusation, saying he condemns racism and antisemitism, and had made that clear to his family. He hit back by calling Ossoff a "trust fund kid" who could never understand the financial strains ordinary Georgians face when trying to buy healthcare. Collins also raised the name of billionaire Reid Hoffman, a donor to Ossoff’s campaign who appeared in the files of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Authorities have not accused Hoffman of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and Hoffman has said he regrets his association with him. Ossoff retaliated by pointing out that Collins is the son of the late congressman Mac Collins, saying he "inherited a seat in Congress" rather than earning his credentials as a self-made trucker.

Clashes over tariffs and the economy

On policy, the debate focused heavily on the cost of living, which polls show remains the top concern for Georgia voters. Ossoff repeatedly pressed Collins to explain his support for Donald Trump’s tariffs, which the Democrat argued have driven up diesel and fertiliser prices, hurting Georgia's farmers. Collins did not answer the tariff question directly, though he argued they make trade "fair" with China and protect ports in Savannah and Brunswick. He also defended Trump’s decision to launch bombing raids on Iran alongside Israel in February, saying "the president had every right" to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

Collins tried to pin high inflation on the Biden administration, blaming "Bidenomics" and the Green New Deal. He also accused Ossoff of shutting down the federal government last year, delaying emergency relief after Hurricane Helene. When Ossoff pressed Collins on whether he still believed the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, Collins avoided a direct answer, instead shifting the focus to Republican-backed voting security measures like the SAVE Act.

Where the Senate race stands

The clash comes as public polling shows Ossoff holding a steady lead in the race, which is vital to Republican hopes of keeping their slim Senate majority. A YouGov poll from mid-September put the Democratic incumbent ten percentage points ahead of his Republican challenger. Ossoff has also built a massive financial lead, raising over $100 million — half of it from small-dollar donors — compared to Collins’s $7 million, though national Republican groups have injected $25 million to boost the challenger.