Republican Senate nominee Mike Collins slammed Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia’s first debate over his inability to defend votes he has taken during his term in office, saying Ossoff has never been held accountable for the Biden-era policies he supported.
“That Bidenomics, that Green New Deal my opponent voted for? That’s where all this inflation is coming from,” Collins said at the outset of the debate. “He wanted to keep the borders wide open when we had fentanyl coming across. No one has ever asked, or held, Jon Ossoff accountable for any of his votes or the reasons why (he voted in favor). I had to write a bill to fight these synthetic drugs because he left that border open allowing that stuff into our country and killing young people.”
Ossoff repeatedly demanded Collins answer to him, even beginning the night by saying the debate was “the trial of Mike Collins.” Ossoff is not an attorney and did not attend law school.
On the issue of agriculture, Collins again called out Ossoff for voting to shut down the government in 2025 for 48 days as hurricane relief for eastern Georgia farmers was delayed.
“Right when we were trying to get emergency money out to our farmers and small business to repair and prepare for this season, he didn’t care… he shut it down so he could defund Border Patrol and ICE,” Collins said.
Ossoff pressed again on the issue of Collins’ support of President Trump and said tariffs were “crushing” Georgia farmers and economy while blaming Collins.
Throughout the debate, Ossoff was less interested in defending his own record and continued to demand Collins answer questions he asked, which moderators had to remind him were not part of the agreed-upon rules.
On the topic of healthcare, Collins quipped, “If anybody should answer for anything, Jon Ossoff should answer why he was not willing to help rural hospitals survive.”
That became a flashpoint when Ossoff criticized the Working Families Tax Cuts, which included a $50 billion fund for rural healthcare, of which Georgia was awarded $218 million. The senator voted against the legislation while Collins supported it.
Ossoff later called for Medicaid expansion in the state and reiterated his support for former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ campaign for governor to address what he called the state’s “healthcare emergency.”
Collins, who ran a trucking company prior to his two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, said the first year of the Affordable Care Act increased insurance costs by 62 percent. He advocated for greater price transparency in the market and touted prescription drug cost savings under President Trump’s second term.
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