Ossoff wins reelection in Trump state of Georgia

Jon Ossoff has won reelection to the U.S. Senate in Georgia, defeating Republican challenger Mike Collins. The Associated Press called the race for Ossoff on November 3, 2026, confirming the incumbent's hold on the seat.

The result marks a victory for a Democrat in a state that President Donald Trump carried in the 2024 presidential election. Ossoff is the only incumbent Senate Democrat defending a seat in a state won by the president. His win comes after a year in which both parties viewed the Georgia contest as a central test of their strength ahead of the 2028 cycle.

The race featured stark contrasts in candidate profiles. Collins, a Republican representative and owner of a family trucking company, faced sustained scrutiny over ties to relatives and former staffers with white nationalist and antisemitic views. He also maintained support for Trump's claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Ossoff, a former congressional aide and documentary filmmaker, built a reputation for strong constituent service that earned him respect from some Republican officials in the state.

Ossoff first gained national attention during a 2017 special election for a suburban House seat. He moved to the Senate in 2021 after winning a runoff. Since then, he has become a prominent figure for Democrats, known for aggressive questioning of Trump appointees during Senate hearings. Clips of his speeches criticizing alleged graft in the Trump orbit circulated widely online, leading some party members to name him as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. Ossoff has stated he is not running for the White House.

The political context for the race was complex. In 2021, Democrats flipped both of Georgia's Senate seats for the first time in decades. The following year, Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock held his seat in a runoff against a flawed Republican opponent. Despite these Senate gains, Republicans have continued to win nearly every other statewide race in Georgia since 2021.

The Republican primary this spring saw Trump endorse Collins over former football coach Derek Dooley. Dooley was a first-time candidate backed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. The endorsement and the primary contest set the stage for a general election where Collins struggled to broaden his appeal among independents and Republican-leaning voters.