Ossoff and Collins spar over 2020 election results, Epstein files in Georgia Senate debate

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican Rep. Mike Collins continued trading both personal and political attacks on Tuesday night as the politicians fought over the war with Iran, rising costs, and the 2020 election results in a heated debate for who will represent Georgia in the Senate.

The debate, part of the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series, is the second and last debate between the two Georgia lawmakers ahead of the midterm elections and comes on the same day as early voting started in the state.

Both parties see Georgia's Senate race as a pivotal election for who controls the majority in the powerful national legislative body in the future. Ossoff, the only Senate Democrat running for reelection in a state the President Trump won in 2024, is attempting to show that his 2021 runoff victory against then-incumbent Sen. David Perdue wasn't simply a temporary blue wave in the Peach State.

Both candidates continued the messaging they began in the first debate, with Collins repeating his description of Ossoff as an out-of-touch politicians who cared more about attention online than everyday Georgians.

"This is race between Georgia and Georgetown. Somebody that has created jobs and opportunities right here in Georgia on this red clay versus a globetrotting trust fund kid who got to the Senate and then at every turn has voted to make our life less safe, more expensive and worse off," Collins said.

Ossoff criticized the Republican lawmaker for what he called "widely documented and completely disqualifying ties to white nationalism and neo-Nazi ideology," and called Collins "an example of the Washington establishment."

"Congress is full of congressman's sons who are only in Congress because their daddies were congressman, just like Mike Collins, who are perfectly happy to send other people's children to die in war," he said.

Collins responded by saying that the only thing his parents gave him "is the opportunity to go to work."

"Jon Ossoff, the only thing he knows about work is working the ATM machine, getting his granddaddy's money out of it," he said.

Epstein ties brought up in second debate

Collins had mentioned that a support of Ossoff's campaign was Silicon Valley investor Reid Hoffman, a major Democratic donor who had ties to Jeffrey Epstein. He continued that message in the second debate, saying that ads for Ossoff were made by a super PAC paid for by Hoffman.

In response, Ossoff said that Collins voted to cover up the Epstein files during his time in Congress.

"When we took those votes, we knew that 14 and 15-year-old had been raped and trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplices. He wouldn't vote to release those files until Donald Trump gave him permission," he said.

Collins said that he did vote to release the files, emphasizing Ossoff's connection to Hoffman again, arguing that the "calls coming from inside the house."

When pressed by Collins to condemn Hoffman, Ossoff said that Mr. Trump was named "a thousand times in the Epstein files," and repeated that Collins voted to cover up the file.

Collins deflects 2020 election fraud question

Collins has never backed off his false claims that former President Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election was rigged, an argument he featured when he first ran for Congress in 2022.

"You count the legal votes that were cast in the state of Georgia, Donald Trump won this state. Period," he said in one ad, in which he held a long gun and bemoaned the "federal hijacking" of the 2020 election. He concluded with shooting a mock voting machine.

When asked if he still believed that Mr. Trump defeated Mr. Biden, Collins said simply that "Joe Biden went into office, and boy, Georgians paid for it" before pivoting to discussions about the former president's economic policy and the Green New Deal, which he claimed was the reason for inflation.

When pressed by Ossoff later, he said that "everybody seen my views on that. They know my views on that."

"There was a lot of doubts on that," he said. "Yes, Joe Biden was the president."

Continued debate over Collins' alleged white nationalist ties

Collins was asked about reports that former members of his staff alleged connections to white nationalists.

Ossoff has called for Collins to release all communications between Kip Talley, Collins' former chief of staff, and a group that included white nationalists Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer. The senator had continued that line of questioning in the first debate, calling him a "bigot" and saying that his words were "disqualifying to be a U.S. senator."

When asked directly if he was a white nationalist, Collins firmly denied the lable, saying that he condemned all hate speech.

"I've fired people when things happen. Fired them," he said.

The Republican lawmaker then repeated his accusation that Ossoff had connections with Hoffman, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, left-wing activist and streamer Hasan Piker, and the Democratic Socialists of America, saying that the senator had not condemned them.

Ossoff in return said that Collins hadn't even been able to stop neo-Nazi propaganda from being produced in his own house, referencing allegations that his son-in-law shared hate content.

Ossoff defends position on arms shipments to Israel

In the last debate, Ossoff said that he had believed that Israeli forces violated humanitarian law in connection with Gaza, but said calling the situation a genocide was a question for the International Criminal Court.

In December, Ossoff voted to block some shipments of U.S. arms to Israel, a topic that was criticized by some Jewish groups in Georgia.

On Tuesday, Ossoff said that the security of those living in Israel and in Palestine mattered to him and stood by his previous votes.

"When it comes to selling weapons or giving weapons to a foreign government, we should assess in every case whether that foreign government is acting consistent with our interest our laws and our values," he said. "Israel had every right to go to war with Hamas after the despicable terrorist attack. I also believe it's the right of U.S. senators to ensure American laws and international laws are being respected by those who fight with our weapons."

Ossoff, Senate's future, and the 2028 presidential election 

If Ossoff is reelected and the Democrats take control of the Senate, there is a possibility that the party pushes another attempt to impeach Mr. Trump.

Asked if he would support an impeachment effort, Ossoff did not give a specific yes or no, but he said that Mr. Trump's "misconduct, abuse of power, and corruption already exceed any prior standard for impeachment."

"If the U.S. House does send us articles of impeachment, I will consider them on the merits as a juror in the Senate," he said.

When asked about being a potential presidential contender in 2028, Ossoff said that he had "zero interest in running for president," saying that he would commit for a full six-year term.

Collins argued the Ossoff would run for the 2028 election, and that he would be the "DSA candidate."

Midterm elections just weeks away

With three weeks before the election, both parties are pushing to get their supporters and undecided voters out to the polls. On Friday, Mr. Trump will rally with Collins at Dalton Municipal Airport in Whitfield County. Former Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to appear with Ossoff at campaign events in October as well.

Unseating Ossoff appears is looking like a challenging task for Collins. The Cook Political Report and the University of Virginia's Center for Politics have both rated the Georgia Senate race as likely Democrat. Ossoff has consistenly been ahead in polls, with recent polling from The Trafalgar Group, Insider Advantage, and Big Data Poll finding the senator with a lead of eight, eight, and 10 points respectively.