Jon Ossoff Wins Re-Election in Georgia, Turning Back Mike Collins' Bid to Flip the Seat

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has won a second term in Georgia, holding off Republican Rep. Mike Collins in one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the 2026 midterms.

NBC News and Decision Desk HQ both projected Ossoff the winner on election night, ending a hard-fought campaign in which Collins tried to flip one of the few Democratic-held seats Republicans saw as within reach.

"No Senate pickup for Republicans in Georgia, but this was NOT an upset. It was expected," conservative commentator Nick Sortor wrote on X after the race was called.

A Seat Republicans Hoped to Take

Collins entered the race aiming to expand the GOP majority while Republicans defended their own seats in other competitive states.

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Heading into Election Day, Republicans held 53 Senate seats, compared with 47 for Democrats and the independents who caucus with them. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take control, which made every competitive race critical.

Georgia was one of the GOP's best chances to offset possible losses elsewhere, and Ossoff's win closes that path.

A Massive Republican War Chest

The loss came despite a significant financial advantage for Republicans nationally. Federal filings show the Republican National Committee raised about $341.5 million this cycle through Oct. 14 and reported roughly $76.2 million in cash on hand.

The National Republican Congressional Committee started October with about $61.3 million available, and House Republicans raised roughly $50 million in the third quarter.

According to the Associated Press, Trump-aligned groups spent nearly $277 million since early September backing Republican candidates. MAGA Inc., the president's main super PAC, transferred $200 million to No Going Back PAC and $25 million to Safety and Affordability PAC.

Reuters reported about $137 million in Republican coordinated spending between July and September, compared with $55 million by Democrats. Republican committees ended September with about $187 million, versus roughly $100 million for Democratic committees.

Trump had said his political network could spend more than $400 million before Election Day.

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Leavitt: 'History Is Not on the Republican Side'

Days before the vote, Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital that the president remained upbeat despite a tough midterm map. "The president is defiant, and he always is optimistic," she said.

Leavitt said Trump "totally understands that history is not on the Republican side right now if you just frankly look at the history books, but that's not stopping him from going out and barnstorming the country."

"He's being frank and honest with his voters that 'I know you don't turn out in midterm cycles, but we need you to this time,'" she said.

She framed the election as a choice between "commonsense Republican conservative candidates" and "some of the most radical Democrats we've ever seen run in the history of our country," adding, "We have a huge cash advantage across the country."

In Georgia, that advantage was not enough to move one of the South's most competitive states.