Ossoff and Collins make final appeals in Georgia Senate race

Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and Republican Representative Mike Collins made final campaign appeals to Georgia voters on November 3, 2026, ahead of the midterm election. Ossoff, first elected in a 2021 runoff, faced Collins, who won a June Republican primary runoff against Governor Brian Kemp's preferred candidate Derek Dooley after receiving endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Ossoff's campaign centered on attacks against Trump and allegations of political corruption, framing the election as a generational moment of resistance. "A wave is building," Ossoff told supporters, "the kind of wave that comes once a generation when people have been pushed too far." He criticized Trump as "a failed president" profiting from office and labeled Collins a "bigot" with a "pathetic, childlike devotion to Donald Trump." Ossoff raised over $109 million, leading all Senate candidates nationally, while Republican organizations shifted funding away from Georgia as Ossoff's standing improved from initial expectations of vulnerability.

Collins emphasized immigration and border security, specifically highlighting his sponsorship of the Laken Riley Act, a 2025 law requiring detention of undocumented immigrants accused of certain crimes. Named after a Georgia nursing student killed in 2024 by a Venezuelan man in the country illegally, the law became central to Collins's campaign messaging. He defended his support for Trump's agenda including tariffs and tax legislation, and countered that Ossoff was the "radical" responsible for border insecurity and inflation.

The race took place in Georgia, a battleground state Trump won in 2016 and 2024 but lost in 2020—a result central to Trump's false claims about voter fraud. Ossoff, 39, faced scrutiny over potential 2028 presidential ambitions should he win reelection, though he denied such interest. Collins had previously faced internal party skepticism after Governor Kemp spent weeks warning Republican voters that Collins could not win in November before endorsing him in September.

Both candidates highlighted legislative accomplishments: Ossoff noted constituent services including hurricane relief and infrastructure support, earning endorsements from several local Republican officials. Collins touted his private sector experience as owner of a trucking company and his congressional work on border security legislation.