Ossoff, Collins clash on prices, Iran in Atlanta debate

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins met Tuesday night for the last debate before Georgians vote in the U.S. Senate race. The hour at the Georgia Public Broadcasting studios in Midtown covered grocery and gas prices, the war in Iran, abortion, guns and an ethics inquiry into Collins’ office.

Ossoff, a Democrat, is seeking a second term. Collins, a Republican, represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District. It was the pair’s second debate in a week.

The debate closed the two-day Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series, which also covered the races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and seven other offices. Donna Lowry of GPB moderated. Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Faith Jessie of 11Alive asked questions.

This account is drawn from the full recording of the debate, published by the Atlanta Press Club. Figures quoted below are the candidates’ own claims, not ours.

Where they stood

Prices and the economy

Ossoff opened his first answer on tariffs. He said ground beef and coffee are each up 30% since President Donald Trump took office, and that diesel is up 70%. He asked Collins to explain a remark from last week’s debate that the tariffs were “making things fair.”

Collins said South American cotton and Canadian lumber had been “destroying the prices” for Georgia farmers and timber growers. He blamed inflation on Biden-era spending, which he called “Bidenomics,” and the Green New Deal. He said diesel prices are “too high” but “coming down” as new supply arrives.

Asked for an affordability plan, Ossoff listed three steps:

• repeal the tariffs
• end the war in Iran
• repeal the Medicaid cuts and the changes he said let health insurance premiums double for more than 1 million Georgians

Collins said his plan starts with energy independence and new refineries. He said the Affordable Care Act “has been a disaster” and health care should give patients control.

The war in Iran

Jessie noted the military’s count of 21 U.S. service members killed since the war began. She asked whether Collins would back ground troops if the president requested them. He did not answer yes or no. He said the U.S. has been at war with Iran’s government for 47 years and that Iran was “this close” to a nuclear weapon.

Ossoff called the war a “disastrous war of choice” that had caused a global energy crisis. He said Iran “still has its uranium, its drones, its missiles” and asked several times how the war had helped Georgians.

Abortion, guns and elections

• Abortion: Ossoff said Collins backed a total ban with no exceptions on the same stage four years ago. Collins said he has been “pro-life all my life” and that Georgia’s legislature “got it right” with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.
• Background checks: Collins said “no” to federal checks on private gun sales. He suggested metal detectors at school entrances and veterans helping protect schools. Ossoff said courts have upheld background checks.
• The 2020 election: Ossoff asked three times whether Collins believes Trump won in 2020. Collins said there “was a lot of doubt” in that election and that “Joe Biden was the president in 2021.”
• Voting machines: Collins said elections should be run by the states. He said Ossoff voted against the SAVE Act, a federal voter ID bill.

The personal exchanges

Much of the hour was personal. Ossoff asked at least four times whether Collins would testify if subpoenaed in the House Ethics Committee’s review of his office. He quoted the Office of Congressional Conduct’s recommendation that Collins be subpoenaed. Collins said he has “fully complied” with the Ethics Committee and called the matter “a nothing burger.”

Ossoff also pressed Collins over what he called neo-Nazi material produced from Collins’ home, and asked him to commit to stopping it. Collins said he condemns “hate speech, anti-semitism, hate of any kind” and has fired people “when things happen.” He said he had received threats he blamed on Ossoff’s rhetoric.

Collins repeatedly called on Ossoff to return donations from Reid Hoffman, a major Democratic donor Collins linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Ossoff said Collins had voted to “cover up” the Epstein files. Collins said he voted to release them.

Closing statements

Collins cited the tax cuts he voted for, more than $200 million he said he secured for rural hospitals and the Laken Riley Act, which he wrote. “Y’all send me to the Senate and I’ll continue to deliver,” he said.

Ossoff cited his investigation of abuse in Georgia’s foster care system, a bipartisan law on child trafficking and the $35 monthly insulin cap for Medicare patients.

What it means for you

Early voting began Tuesday and runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Any Fulton County voter can use any Fulton early voting site.

• Where and when to vote early: our Fulton County voting guide lists the Atlanta sites, the hours and the weekend dates.
• Your sample ballot and polling place: the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.
• Watch it yourself: the full Senate debate and the other 10 debates in the series stay on the Atlanta Press Club’s YouTube channel. The governor’s debate between Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson ran Monday.