Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff spoke to supporters Tuesday night after winning reelection in Georgia, defeating Republican Rep. Mike Collins, PBS News reported. The Associated Press called the race at 7:55 p.m. Eastern time, early in the night.
The win was critical for Democrats. Ossoff was the only Senate Democrat running for reelection in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024. Keeping his seat was a key part of the party's hopes of taking control of the Senate.
Ossoff was seen as vulnerable when the 2026 cycle began. But he raised far more money than Collins, a two-term congressman who won Trump's endorsement in a drawn-out Republican primary. Ossoff also ran an aggressive campaign that drew national attention for his sharp criticism of Trump. Republican groups supporting Collins cut back their spending in mid-October.
NPR reported that Ossoff won respect at home, even from some Republican officials, for his constituent services. Outside Georgia, he excited Democrats who were looking for new leaders. Clips of his rally speeches attacking alleged corruption around Trump spread widely online, and many Democrats began to mention him as a possible presidential candidate. Ossoff has said he is not running for the White House in 2028.
Ossoff, a former congressional aide and documentary filmmaker, first won his seat in a 2021 runoff. That race was part of the year Democrats flipped both of Georgia's Senate seats for the first time in a generation. Republicans have continued to win most other statewide races in Georgia.
His victory gave Democrats an early boost on a night when control of Congress was on the line. Raw 100.5 will keep following results as more races are called.
Sources: PBS News, NPR, The Associated Press