Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff wins reelection, defeating Rep. Mike Collins to hold a key Democratic seat

Ossoff, 39, began the cycle as a top Republican target and the only Senate Democrat running for reelection in a state Trump carried in 2024. But from the start, the senator ran as an aggressive Trump critic, with critiques of “a failed president” that became a staple of voters’ social media feeds across the country.

He raised more than $100 million and sparked speculation about a potential 2028 presidential bid to succeed the man he said has used the Oval Office to enrich himself and damage the U.S. political and economic system.

For Trump and Republicans, Ossoff’s victory marked a setback in a state Trump carried two years earlier. Trump endorsed Collins for the Republican nomination in a state where the president continued to make claims that his 2020 defeat was rigged.

The two-term congressman, first elected while supporting Trump’s claims about the 2020 election, trailed Ossoff significantly in fundraising and faced criticism over past associations involving white nationalists and an unresolved House ethics investigation.

Collins told supporters Tuesday night that it had been an honor to serve under Trump, whom he called the best president of his lifetime. “The results may not be what we wanted tonight, but y’all, that’s OK,” he said.

Ossoff was first elected in 2020, defeating Republican Sen. David Perdue. Ossoff’s fellow Democrat, Sen. Raphael Warnock, won a special election at the same time, both breaking historical barriers: Warnock as Georgia’s first Black senator, Ossoff as its first Jewish senator.

Warnock won reelection in 2022 with a campaign targeted more at Georgia’s moderate swing voters, reflecting the difference for a Democratic senator running for reelection with Biden in the White House as opposed to Trump. Ossoff instead adopted a more aggressive approach toward Trump, an approach that drew attention from other Democrats.

Ossoff held carefully produced rallies where he delivered sharp critiques of the president as aides quickly cut video clips that were distributed online in real time.

The senator called for ending the Iran war, rolling back many of Trump’s tax cuts, and criticized the president’s tariffs. He highlighted his stalled legislative proposal to bar members of Congress from trading individual stocks and pitched a constitutional amendment to limit corporate money in campaigns.

The senator also carefully navigated the politics of Israel, saying he values Israel’s security and “the lives of innocent Palestinians.” He has voted for some U.S. military aid to Israel and against other munitions grants. Ossoff said the Israeli military has violated international standards of warfare in Gaza but avoided the question of whether Israel is committing genocide — a charge levied by some on the Democrats’ left flank. Ossoff said that’s a matter for the International Criminal Court to decide.

Ossoff also highlighted his constituent work in Georgia and earned endorsements from some local Republican officials in the historically conservative state who cited his work on hurricane relief, infrastructure investments, and other federal funding.