Ossoff Accuses Collins of 'Third Reich' Ties in Heated Georgia Debate
Democrat Jon Ossoff leveled sharp accusations against Republican Mike Collins regarding alleged extremist ties during a contentious debate, as Republican campaign funding shifts away from Georgia.
During a fiery debate on Thursday night, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff accused Republican Representative Mike Collins of hiring staff with ties to extremist groups, specifically referencing the "Third Reich" and promoting "neo-Nazi content online." Ossoff steered questions on topics ranging from AI data centers and the Iran war to immigration and Flock cameras, consistently linking them back to Collins' alleged connections to white nationalists.
Ossoff's attacks came as the Senate GOP’s top super PAC reportedly shifted nearly $2 million in advertising from Georgia to South Carolina, according to AdImpact Politics.
Collins attempted to counter Ossoff’s claims by portraying the senator as an out-of-touch "trust fund kid." He also faced questions regarding his former staffer Preston Parra and his son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II. Parra's X account has reportedly featured Nazi imagery and racial slurs, though a Collins campaign spokesman stated Parra has no affiliation with the congressman's office or campaign. Scheer, a social media influencer, has been accused of sharing antisemitic and white nationalist material, including liking a comment featuring a German marching song from the Nazi era.
Collins stated that Scheer plays no role in his campaign and that he does not share his son-in-law's views. He accused Ossoff of spreading "inflammatory claims about his family" and mentioned that family members had received death threats. "I've condemned racism, anti-Semitism, hate. I don't care where the source is," Collins said. "It's wrong. We have no place in this world for that."
Ossoff invoked the late civil rights leader John Lewis, suggesting that Collins would have opposed the Selma to Montgomery marches. Collins, in turn, criticized Ossoff's associations with figures like Abdul El-Sayed and Hasan Piker, and brought up a House Ethics Committee investigation into Ossoff regarding payments to a former chief of staff’s girlfriend.
Public polling has consistently shown Ossoff leading Collins in the race. Prediction markets give Ossoff a high probability of winning. Speculation about Ossoff's national political future, including potential presidential aspirations, has been met with his own statements that he has "zero interest" in running for president in 2028.