- “He’s running. He’ll be your DSA candidate,” Republican challenger Mike Collins replied, seeking to portray Ossoff as a socialist with ambitions beyond Georgia.
The big picture: Georgia was one of three battleground states hosting Senate debates Tuesday night, with candidates from Iowa and Maine also clashing over President Trump’s foreign policy, the cost of living and their results in Washington.
In Georgia, Ossoff and Collins traded vicious personal attacks throughout their second and final debate, resuming a feud that had become a viral spectacle online.
- “Will you commit tonight to no longer allow neo-Nazi propaganda to be produced from your home for the remainder of this campaign – it’s only been three weeks, Mike?’” Ossoff asked, referring to Collins’ son-in-law, an alleged white nationalist influencer.
- Collins accused Ossoff of inciting threats against his family, then attacked him for his campaign’s support of billionaire Reid Hoffman, who had ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
- “Mike, do you really want to bring up the Epstein files?” Ossoff fired back, pointing to Collins’ initial vote against releasing the documents — a position he reversed after Trump changed course.
In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins has touted her independence from Trump as a political asset, arguing that her willingness to challenge the president — and work with him when necessary — has been good for her state.
- Collins cited his nine votes to end the war in Iran, his opposition to Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill and about $1.5 billion in federal funding secured for projects in Maine.
- Democratic challenger Troy Jackson argued that Collins spent years helping Trump advance policies that hurt Maine, only to later express “concern” and claim credit for mitigating the damage.
- In his closing statement, Jackson invoked a fatal ICE shooting in Maine to accuse Collins of enabling Trump’s immigration crackdown: “Senator Collins paid for the bullets on Donald Trump’s orders. Now she wants credit for not pulling the trigger.”
In Iowa, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic challenger Josh Turek squared off in a race that strains Republicans, as Trump’s tariffs and soaring farm costs threaten their hold on a state he carried by 13 points.
- Hinson broke with Trump over his deal to ease sanctions on Russian diesel, saying she believed there were ways to reduce fuel prices without giving more power to Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine.
- Turek accused Hinson of helping lead Iowa into a “second agricultural crisis” by supporting Trump’s tariffs and voting against congressional efforts to end the war in Iran.
- Hinson said the war should end “as quickly as possible” but rejected another congressional resolution, arguing that Trump and the military could end the conflict themselves.
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