Jon Ossoff humiliates Trump-backed Mike Collins in Georgia Senate rout as Democrat's crushing victory fuels 2028 speculation
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By SAMANTHA LOREN, US POLITICAL REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
Donald Trump suffered a humiliating election-night blow on Tuesday as Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff crushed his hand-picked Republican challenger in Georgia, delivering one of the first ominous signs that a blue wave could be on the horizon.
Multiple networks called the race just before 8pm ET – less than an hour after the polls closed – confirming a resounding victory for Ossoff in a state Trump carried just two years ago.
But what began as a prized Republican target had turned into an almost lost cause by Election Day.
The Georgia Democrat has transformed himself into a national political star, and his crushing victory will only intensify speculation that he could become a contender for the White House in 2028.
Collins's campaign was marred by damaging revelations about people in his political and family circles who had expressed white supremacist views, leaving the Republican struggling to escape controversy.
His defeat delivered a bruising setback to Trump's party as the GOP battled to hold on to Congress.
The senator's ballot strength could also provide coattails for Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who campaigned closely with him in her battle for the Georgia governorship.
Ossoff's swift victory represents a foreboding sign for Republican chances to stave off a blue wave. Republican House seats in Kentucky, Indiana and Florida were in danger of being flipped by Democrats as votes continued to trickle in.
Senator Jon Ossoff won his race easily on Tuesday night, defeating Mike Collins
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, center, joined by former President Barack Obama and Democratic candidate Senator Jon Ossoff, walk off stage after a rally ahead of the general election
Collins, a Republican congressman and trucking company owner who received Trump's backing in the GOP primary, faced mounting questions about his own controversial social media activity and people in his political and family circles
A limp economy, rising prices and frustration with the President didn't help Collins, who was vastly underfunded.
Ossoff meanwhile turned his 2026 campaign into a vehicle for national stardom and his convincing victory will only rekindle speculation about a 2028 presidential run.
While campaigning this fall, he made the President as much his opponent as Collins.
At an August town hall alongside Senator Mark Kelly, he called Trump a 'draft-dodging crook president.'
Days earlier, at an Atlanta rally, he said there was something 'uniquely despicable about lying a nation into war,' a shot at the Iran conflict. Trump responded by calling Ossoff 'Pee-wee Herman.'
Ossoff raised nearly $125 million by the end of September, against Collins's $5.8 million.
That made him the top-raising Senate candidate in the country, and nearly all of his donations were under $100.
Still, he insisted he has 'zero interest in running for President.'
In their October 9 debate, Ossoff called Collins 'the bigot congressman' and said he had 'hired half the Third Reich' to staff his congressional office.
He also cited a 2024 video Collins reshared from Ole Miss showing white students making monkey noises at a black woman, with Collins's caption 'Ole Miss taking care of business.'
Trump carried the state in 2024 by just over two percentage points.
But Ossoff built a large polling lead throughout the fall, rendering the race uncompetitive for national Republicans.
Collins, a Republican congressman and trucking company owner who received Trump's backing in the GOP primary, faced mounting questions about his own controversial social media activity and people in his political and family circles.
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