Trump-backed candidate emerges victorious in Georgia's highly contested GOP Senate runoff election
As the general election campaign begins to take shape, both Collins and Ossoff are expected to focus on key issues such as the economy, immigration, and healthcare. Collins has already signaled that he will continue to tie himself closely to Trump's policies, which could be a double-edged sword in a state where Trump's popularity is still a divisive issue. Ossoff, on the other hand, is likely to emphasize his own record on issues such as voting rights and access to affordable healthcare.
The Democratic Senator has also been highlighting the importance of protecting Social Security and Medicare, which could resonate with Georgia's large population of seniors. Collins, meanwhile, has been trying to paint Ossoff as out of touch with the state's values, citing his support for progressive policies such as expanding access to abortion and addressing climate change.
The race is also likely to be heavily influenced by external factors, including the national political environment and the involvement of outside groups. Both parties are expected to pour significant resources into the campaign, which could make it one of the most expensive Senate races in the country. With control of the Senate hanging in the balance, the stakes are high for both Collins and Ossoff, and the outcome of the election could have far-reaching implications for the country.
A supporter pressed Collins at his rally Monday about how he plans to respond to issues that had been “all over the ads,” referring to attacks from Dooley and his allies highlighting the ethics probe and Phillips controversies.
“I can win this thing. They can sling whatever they want, you know. I can’t help that,” Collins said, adding later that “our real enemy is Jon Ossoff.”
And although the primary with Dooley had gotten negative, Collins was confident Republicans would unite after the runoff.
“Republicans have always had spirited primaries. We always will. But at the end of the day, you always see that we unite together and we march lockstep, because we all have the same mission,” Collins said. “And that is to make sure that we put a Republican in that U.S. Senate seat.”
The Georgia Senate race is going to be a tough — and expensive — battle for both parties.
The state has emerged as a closely contested battleground in recent years. Trump won Georgia by just 2 percentage points in 2024. In 2020, Joe Biden won Georgia by less than half a point. Ossoff won his seat in January 2021 by just over 1 point, defeating GOP Sen. David Perdue in a runoff and handing Democrats the Senate majority that year.
The two major super PACs involved in Senate races have already pledged to spend a combined $64 million on the race, and that spending could continue to balloon as the contest heats up.
On the candidate level, Ossoff starts the race with an overwhelming financial advantage. His campaign has raised more than $80 million and had $32 million to spend as of April 29, when he filed his most recent campaign finance report.
Collins, whose campaign had to file a fundraising report more recently because of the runoff, has raised $4.9 million and had $1.2 million in his campaign account as of May 27.
And Ossoff has expressed confidence that he’ll win in November, regardless of who his Republican opponent is.
“It doesn’t matter which one wins,” Ossoff said at a recent rally, referring to the GOP runoff. “They’re both corrupt political insiders, and they’re both pro-war, pro-tariff and pro-cutting your healthcare. They’re both Trump puppets, and we’ll beat either one of them in November.”
The Democratic Senator has also been highlighting the importance of protecting Social Security and Medicare, which could resonate with Georgia's large population of seniors. Collins, meanwhile, has been trying to paint Ossoff as out of touch with the state's values, citing his support for progressive policies such as expanding access to abortion and addressing climate change.
The race is also likely to be heavily influenced by external factors, including the national political environment and the involvement of outside groups. Both parties are expected to pour significant resources into the campaign, which could make it one of the most expensive Senate races in the country. With control of the Senate hanging in the balance, the stakes are high for both Collins and Ossoff, and the outcome of the election could have far-reaching implications for the country.
A supporter pressed Collins at his rally Monday about how he plans to respond to issues that had been “all over the ads,” referring to attacks from Dooley and his allies highlighting the ethics probe and Phillips controversies.
“I can win this thing. They can sling whatever they want, you know. I can’t help that,” Collins said, adding later that “our real enemy is Jon Ossoff.”
And although the primary with Dooley had gotten negative, Collins was confident Republicans would unite after the runoff.
“Republicans have always had spirited primaries. We always will. But at the end of the day, you always see that we unite together and we march lockstep, because we all have the same mission,” Collins said. “And that is to make sure that we put a Republican in that U.S. Senate seat.”
The Georgia Senate race is going to be a tough — and expensive — battle for both parties.
The state has emerged as a closely contested battleground in recent years. Trump won Georgia by just 2 percentage points in 2024. In 2020, Joe Biden won Georgia by less than half a point. Ossoff won his seat in January 2021 by just over 1 point, defeating GOP Sen. David Perdue in a runoff and handing Democrats the Senate majority that year.
The two major super PACs involved in Senate races have already pledged to spend a combined $64 million on the race, and that spending could continue to balloon as the contest heats up.
On the candidate level, Ossoff starts the race with an overwhelming financial advantage. His campaign has raised more than $80 million and had $32 million to spend as of April 29, when he filed his most recent campaign finance report.
Collins, whose campaign had to file a fundraising report more recently because of the runoff, has raised $4.9 million and had $1.2 million in his campaign account as of May 27.
And Ossoff has expressed confidence that he’ll win in November, regardless of who his Republican opponent is.
“It doesn’t matter which one wins,” Ossoff said at a recent rally, referring to the GOP runoff. “They’re both corrupt political insiders, and they’re both pro-war, pro-tariff and pro-cutting your healthcare. They’re both Trump puppets, and we’ll beat either one of them in November.”
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