From the HERE City National Desk
ATLANTA, Ga. — Sen. Jon Ossoff said Tuesday night he has zero interest in running for president in 2028, telling an Atlanta Press Club debate he is seeking a full six-year Senate term if Georgia voters reelect him.
Ossoff, a Democrat facing Republican Rep. Mike Collins, answered a moderator question by saying he is not running for president and is running for reelection to the Senate. Collins dismissed the denial, saying Ossoff would still pursue the White House and would be a Democratic Socialists of America candidate. Ossoff is not a member of that group.
The hourlong exchange, part of the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series, was the second and final scheduled debate in the nationally watched Georgia Senate race and came as early voting began in the state. Both parties treat the contest as pivotal to Senate control. Ossoff is the only Senate Democrat seeking reelection in a state President Donald Trump won in 2024.
The candidates traded attacks on tariffs, the war in Iran, rising costs and the 2020 election. Ossoff pressed Collins over white nationalist social media posts amplified by someone in Collins family circle. Collins condemned hate speech and antisemitism and said rhetoric from Ossoff had motivated a New York man now jailed over alleged death threats.
Collins again avoided saying whether Joe Biden won the 2020 election when asked about a Trump call seeking more Georgia votes. Ossoff, asked about a possible Trump impeachment if Democrats take the Senate, said he would consider House articles on the merits as a Senate juror and that Trump misconduct already exceeds prior impeachment standards.
Collins cast the race as Georgia versus Georgetown and called Ossoff out of touch. Ossoff called Collins an example of the Washington establishment and said Congress is full of members who inherited political careers.
