Ossoff, Collins debate Iran war, immigration, economy
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U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), left, and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) participated in a debate organized by television station WANF. Photos: Courtesy of Jessica McGowan/Getty Images; Ben Hendren/Bloomberg via Getty Images
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Rep. Mike Collins traded barbs over immigration, the war in Iran, election security and the cost of living Thursday in one of two debates on the docket ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Why it matters: Early voting begins Tuesday in this closely-watched race that could help determine which party will control the U.S. Senate.
Driving the news: Both candidates participated in their first debate, which was hosted by local television station WANF.
Economy: Collins, the Republican who represents Georgia's 10th Congressional District, accused Ossoff of voting for "Bidenomics that caused this historic inflation" not just on gas, but on "everything you buy out there."
- Ossoff, a Democrat who was first elected in 2021, said the tariffs Collins voted for "have crushed families and small businesses in Georgia."
Help for Georgia farmers: Ossoff said family farms in the state were "getting crushed" because a third of the world's fertilizer flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been snarled due to the war in Iran.
- "Diesel prices are at their all-time high in American history under Mike Collins and Donald Trump. It costs more than ever to buy a tractor for your farm or to plant an acre of cotton," he said.
- Collins said Ossoff allowed the government to shut down when "we were trying to get that emergency money out" to farmers affected by Hurricane Helene.
Immigration: Collins accused Ossoff of wanting to defund ICE and border patrol, and allowing undocumented people to come into the country and commit crimes against Americans.
- He referred to Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was murdered in 2024 by an undocumented immigrant, and the law named after her he championed.
- Ossoff, who said Americans deserve to have secure borders, said Collins supported an immigration policy that "rounded up people at job sites with no suspicion of any criminal history."
Collins' ethics complaint: Ossoff touched on the ethics complaint filed late last year against the congressman, which accuses him of using government money to pay the girlfriend of his former chief of staff for work she did not do.
- Collins said the allegations were "bogus."
Ossoff also referenced Collins' alleged ties to white nationalists several times throughout the debate.
- "If John Lewis were marching today from Selma to Montgomery, Mike Collins would be grabbing a billy club," he said.
- Collins said he's condemned racism and antisemitism.
- "I don't care where the source is," he said. "We have no place in this world for that."
Iran war: Collins said President Trump "had every right to go in there and make sure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon."
- Ossoff said the war has been a "disaster" that hasn't decimated Iran's nuclear capabilities but has led to high gas prices.
Election security: Ossoff said Georgia has a voter ID law and "that's good," and said Collins and President Trump were "still obsessed with overturning the 2020 election."
Collins said voters needed to have confidence in the system, and criticized Ossoff for not supporting the SAVE Act.
- "We live in the best country in the world, and there's no reason that we shouldn't have the most secure elections in the world," he said.
What's next: Both Collins and Ossoff has been invited to participate in the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series.
- The debate is set to be livestreamed from 8-9pm Tuesday, Oct. 13 and air at 8pm on GPB.