On Thursday night, Sen. Jon Ossoff and Rep. Mike Collins took the stage in Doraville, Georgia, to face off against each other in a heated debate.
The event comes at a crucial time leading up to the midterm elections, with Election Day just weeks away, and early voting starting next Tuesday.
The three main topics discussed during Thursday’s debate were affordability, health care, and foreign policy.
Ossoff opened the debate, saying, “Democrats, independents, and Republicans are uniting behind my Senate campaign, just like we united Georgians to cap the cost of insulin at $35, to take on big tech companies, and force them to report online predators who target our kids.”
Collins followed, saying, “Georgia doesn’t have a voice in the Senate. … My opponent is … an extremist who’s voted for men to go into girls sports. He’s opposed the forgotten men and women who just want to keep more of their tips, their overtime, and their social security.”
Affordability Takes Center Stage
The first question came from Mike Cihla, Savannah’s WTOC news anchor, who asked both candidates how they would help families “make ends meet” financially.
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“My opponent voted for those Bidenomics that caused this historic inflation. … He doesn’t even want you having gasoline automobiles; he wants you riding on mass transit,” Collins answered first.
Ossoff immediately took a jab at President Donald Trump, saying, “Diesel is up 70% since Donald Trump was elected president. … These tariffs have crushed families and small businesses and Georgia agriculture.”
Shortly thereafter, the moderator, Rick Folbaum, asked a question of Collins about the increasing national debt.
Collins answered, “Tax cuts are the answer to keeping more money back in people’s pockets. … My opponent is a trust fund kid who’s never had a job in his life. … He doesn’t understand business. … We have bowed down to the rest of this world … [but] we should set it up to where we have the advantage.”
Ossoff replied, saying, “The question was about the stewardship of tax dollars.”
Folbaum then asked Ossoff about his votes “for trillions of dollars in spending as the national debt climbed to pass $31 trillion.”
Ossoff replied, “One of the things that we did was pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to pull lead pipes out of drinking water systems across Georgia, expand broadband internet, upgrade every seaport and airport in the state of Georgia. That’s the kind of program that supports our economic development.”
The Role of the Affordable Care Act in Health Care
Later in the debate, Abby Kousouris from Atlanta News First asked a question of both candidates regarding keeping rural hospitals open across the state.
Ossoff said he would “repeal the disastrous Medicaid cuts.”
“I took on the drug companies to cap the cost of insulin at $35. … Health insurance premiums have doubled for more than 1,000,000 Georgians,” the incumbent senator said.
Collins followed, saying, “Rural hospitals, major problems, that’s why in the bill, the Working Families Tax Cut plan, we put $218 billion in there for rural hospitals. … But the problem started way back under Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act.”
The next question came from Roslyn Giles, anchor for WTVM, who discussed Ossoff’s votes “to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies nine times,” and then followed up by asking about lowering “the underlying cost of care and insurance premiums,” not just subsidizing existing costs.
Ossoff answered, “It requires price transparency. It also requires Medicaid expansion here in Georgia. It’s why we need a Medicaid-expanding governor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, here in Georgia, to address our state’s health care emergency.”
Collins answered, “We need to make sure that people pay a fair price for drugs. … But you talk about these Medicaid subsidies—all that was passed under the Biden administration with Jon Ossoff.”
Attack on Israel and Election Integrity
Later in the debate, the moderator asked Ossoff about the three-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel: “You yourself voted to block a shipment of arms to Israel, seen by many in Atlanta’s Jewish community as a betrayal.”
Ossoff responded, “There is no doubt in my mind that Israeli forces prosecuting the war in Gaza violated the Law of Armed Conflict and international humanitarian law. I care deeply about the security of the Israeli people, among whom are members of my family. … [I] make no apology for my votes.”
Collins replied, “Jon Ossoff has been out there and recruited, supported, and endorsed this [Michigan Senate candidate] Abdul El-Sayed. He hates Israel, loves Iran. That’s his pick. … This Hasan Piker, also the same way. … He’s endorsed Jon Ossoff for president for 2028.”
Later in the debate, Kousouris asked about voting rules and election administration, particularly inquiring about when the federal government has the right to intervene.
Ossoff said, “Georgia has voter ID, and that’s good.”
Collins replied, “Jon Ossoff has voted against the SAVE Act numerous times. Jon Ossoff requires you to show an ID to show up at his rally, but he doesn’t think you need to do that to go vote.”
Until Voting Begins
At the end of the debate, both candidates offered closing statements, with Ossoff noting, “I am so grateful to Georgians for investing the trust in me to represent Georgia in the Senate. … I humbly ask for your continued support in this election.”
Collins closed, saying, “You know, Georgia, we still haven’t heard why Jon Ossoff votes the way he does, why he votes almost 100% of the time with Bernie Sanders … being endorsed by Hasan, the guy that said that America deserved 9/11. Help me get there [to the Senate], and I’ll answer to Georgia, and I’ll deliver.”
Early voting starts on Tuesday. Election Day is on Nov. 3. Watch the full debate online here.
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