Georgia US Sen. Jon Ossoff, the Jewish Democratic incumbent, successfully defended his seat as a candidate who has increasingly sought to restrict military aid to Israel.
Ossoff warned in his victory speech against escalating wars overseas. "Abroad, American credibility and leadership are in decay, and the world is re-arming for global conflict," he told a roaring crowd at his Atlanta watch party after defeating Republican US Rep. Mike Collins. "And at our grave peril, humanity is fast forgetting the terrible lessons of two world wars and the Holocaust."
Ossoff, whose rising popularity has spurred speculation about his potential future as a 2028 presidential contender, said Democratic victories signaled the "first sight of dawn" two years into Trump’s second administration. But he struck a darker tone by invoking the World War II era.
"Now our task is to reawaken that great national spirit that defeated fascism and established social security," he said.
Emerging as one of Trump’s fiercest critics on the national stage, Ossoff has increasingly excoriated the president’s foreign policy, including his decision to join Israel in a war with Iran. Like other Democratic candidates across the country, Ossoff accused Trump of "lying a nation into war" and sending "prices soaring with his warmongering in the Middle East."
Ossoff’s voting record on Israel has captured a shift in the Democratic party. While he has supported measures to boost Israeli defense systems, he also became one of the first Senate Democrats to vote for blocking offensive weapons sales to Israel in 2024, as the country’s military conduct in Gaza drove mounting opposition.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America, which endorsed Ossoff, celebrated him as "a champion of our Jewish and Democratic values" on Tuesday.
"We were proud to help mobilize Jewish Georgians behind his campaign and to highlight the extremism of his opponent," JDCA’s CEO Halie Soifer told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Collins was scrutinized during the bitterly fought election for ties to white nationalists. Ossoff called him a "notorious bigot, antisemite, and extremist." Collins said that Ossoff "caved to the radicals" by voting to halt certain arms shipments to Israel.
In contrast, Collins pledged continued military support for Israel, calling the country "a frontline partner against Iran and their partners in terror" in the Atlanta Jewish Times. A self-described "born again Christian," Collins added that he supports Israel because "my faith tells me to and because it is the right policy for America."
Collins’ campaign was mired in controversies surrounding his associates. One of his former staffers posted images of a swastika and a Ku Klux Klan robe online, while another partook in a group chat with prominent white nationalists that aimed to help an accused Holocaust denier. Collins’ son-in-law is a social media influencer who has promoted conspiracy theories that "Jews control our government" and called to deport all Muslims.
Ossoff took aim at those associations during the candidates’ two debates, saying that Collins "hired half the Third Reich to staff your congressional office" and was "unable to stop someone under your own roof from disseminating neo-Nazi propaganda while you run for the Senate." Collins has said that he condemns antisemitism and does not support his son-in-law’s views.
Meanwhile, Ossoff’s vote against offensive weapons for Israel in November 2024 divided Georgia’s Jews. In an open letter, a coalition including Georgia synagogues, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the local Anti-Defamation League chapter and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee told Ossoff they were "deeply disappointed" and the vote demonstrated that his "בommitment to Israel’s security is not ironclad."
An opposing letter from over 100 Atlanta Jewish leaders, including rabbis and heads of liberal organizations, thanked Ossoff for his vote. They said his position represented "a growing portion of the American Jewish community that believes that the US-Israel relationship should be grounded in our laws, national security interests and shared values."
AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, attacked Ossoff and other senators who supported the bill in an advertising blitz. But Ossoff was backed by J Street, a liberal advocacy group, which spent $3 million on ads attacking Collins and other AIPAC-supported Republicans.
Ossoff subsequently voted for further measures in 2025 and 2026 to block sales of rifles, bulldozers and 1,000-pound bombs to Israel. Collins repeatedly attacked Ossoff for those votes, accusing the senator of giving in to "radicals" in the Democratic party who were "pushing the anti-Israel agenda."