ATLANTA, Ga. — The campaign trail in Georgia’s closely watched U.S. Senate race is heating up with less than three months before voters cast their ballots.

Hundreds gathered in Midtown Atlanta on Sunday, chanting “six more years” for U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff as he campaigns for reelection against Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

“This is a campaign for everyone who craves sanity, competence and quality public service,” Ossoff, D-Georgia, told supporters.

Ossoff’s supporters pointed to health care costs and the need to expand Medicaid in Georgia as key issues in the race. They also criticized the expiration of tax credits last December that had lowered health insurance costs for some Americans.

“Senator Jon Ossoff went the other way,” said Crystal King, a Georgia resident who said she has been affected by rising health insurance costs. “That’s the whole difference between these two men. One record shows what you pay and how it raises, and needs to account for that. The other one is fighting, is working every day to bring it down.”

David Sutherland, a Georgia father of three, said rising costs have forced his family to make difficult decisions.

“This year, we were left deciding between school supplies and putting gas in the car,” Sutherland said.

“What is a family, an average American family, supposed to do? Well, we have an answer, Georgia. Senator Ossoff understands these issues,” he added.

Ossoff also addressed comments Collins made during a campaign stop in Savannah last week about compensating people who say they were wrongfully targeted by the federal government in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In a video that circulated online, a supporter who identified himself as a participant in the Capitol riot asked Collins whether he supported Trump administration efforts to compensate Americans whose “lives were destroyed by the federal government.”

“A lot of things have been politicized and weaponized,” Collins responded. “And when the federal government harms you, then yes, they have a liability, too. That’s easy. Yes, sir.”

Ossoff criticized Collins during Sunday’s rally.

“Georgia deserves better,” Ossoff said. “Better than pro-war, pro-tariff, pro-cutting your health care, Trump-puppet Mike Collins.”

Meyer Siegfried, a spokesperson for Collins, said Collins supports accountability when federal agencies misuse their authority but does not support automatic payments.

“Mike Collins fully supports holding the government accountable when federal agencies abuse their power and believes Americans who’ve been wronged by their government ought to have a path to seek justice,” Siegfried said in a statement. “He does not support a blank-check fund or automatic taxpayer-funded payouts to anyone simply because they were prosecuted for Jan. 6.”

Georgia’s general election is Nov. 3, 2026. Early voting is scheduled for Oct. 13 through Oct. 30.

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