By Andrian Putra
Atlanta, October 9, 2026 — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff and Republican challenger U.S. Representative Mike Collins clashed over tariffs, health care, immigration and each other’s character Thursday night in their first debate of Georgia’s closely watched Senate race.
The one-hour debate was hosted by Atlanta News First at Assembly Studios in Doraville and aired statewide on Gray Media stations. It quickly became personal. In his opening statement, Ossoff said voters would hear “the trial of Mike Collins.” He accused the congressman of bigotry and of blind loyalty to President Donald Trump.
Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, called Ossoff a radical. He said Ossoff had left the state “less safe, more expensive, and worse off.”
Ossoff is the only Senate Democrat seeking reelection in a state Trump won in 2024. Republicans see the seat as one of their best chances to pick up a Democratic seat in November.
Economy and health care take center stage
Ossoff came back again and again to the cost of living. He blamed Trump’s tariffs, the war in Iran and Medicaid cuts in last year’s Republican budget law for higher prices at the grocery store and the gas pump and for rising insurance premiums. He promised to repeal the tariffs and reverse the Medicaid cuts. He also challenged Collins several times to explain how the tariffs had helped Georgia families. Collins never answered that question directly.
Collins blamed inflation on the Biden administration’s economic policies, which Ossoff supported. He said the GOP tax law let families keep more of their money and sent $218 billion to rural hospitals. He blamed rising medical costs on the Affordable Care Act. Ossoff pointed to a hospital in Collins’ own district that closed its labor and delivery unit and cited the Medicaid cuts as the reason.
The candidates also sparred over farm policy, data centers and federal spending. Collins called a House Ethics Committee investigation into his office a “nothing burger” and said it was being pushed for election-season politics.
Immigration and visas draw contrasts
The panel also asked about immigration, an issue important to many Asian American and immigrant families in Georgia. One question raised the 2025 immigration raid at the Hyundai battery plant near Savannah, which Gov. Brian Kemp and business leaders said exposed flaws in the U.S. visa system. Collins said the federal system is “antiquated” and that foreign workers should come in legally. He then pivoted to attacking Ossoff’s record on military issues.
On immigrant labor in agriculture and construction, Collins said the border is now secure and called for fixing the H-2A farmworker visa program. Ossoff said he supports border security but criticized the administration’s enforcement tactics. He said his office has documented more than 1,000 credible reports of abuse in ICE detention facilities.
The two men also clashed over Israel, the 2020 election and Collins’ son-in-law, who has posted white supremacist content online. Collins said he has condemned racism and antisemitism, and he said he fires staff who cross the line. Ossoff said Collins’ conduct disqualifies him from the Senate.
What comes next
In his closing statement, Ossoff asked voters to keep trusting him and pointed to his fights with drug, tech and insurance companies. Collins said Ossoff votes almost always with Sen. Bernie Sanders and promised to “fight for our state.”
The candidates will meet again Tuesday at an Atlanta Press Club debate. Early voting starts the same day, Oct. 13, and Election Day is Nov. 3.
