Ossoff sharpens anti-Trump campaign as Georgia Senate race takes shape

Sen. Jon Ossoff is running for reelection in Georgia with a much sharper attack on President Donald Trump than he used in his earlier campaigns. The shift matters for Democrats because, according to Fortune, Ossoff is the only Democratic senator on the 2026 ballot in a state Trump won in 2024.

Ossoff, 39, first drew national attention in 2017 as a young House candidate in suburban Atlanta who campaigned on government accountability and spending restraint. Fortune reported that his Republican opponent at the time complained he “talks like a Republican.”

That version of Ossoff has been replaced by a senator who now calls Trump a “national disgrace,” accuses him of leading a “Mar-a-Lago mafia” and describes his administration as “the most corrupt administration of all time.” Fortune reported that Democratic strategists and activists are taking notice as the party looks toward the 2026 midterms and possible 2028 presidential contenders.

A race with Senate control at stake

Ossoff says his focus is on serving Georgia, exposing corruption and winning what he called a pivotal Senate race against Republican Rep. Mike Collins. Collins, who won a GOP primary runoff after a late Trump endorsement, has labeled Ossoff an “out-of-touch, far-left liberal” and attacked him as “weak” and “woke,” according to Fortune.

Democrats need to protect Ossoff’s seat while trying to gain at least four others to retake the Senate majority, Fortune reported. His campaign’s financial position gives him a clear advantage: Ossoff raised $20 million in the second quarter of 2026 and had $42 million available, while Collins raised about $2.1 million and had roughly the same amount on hand.

Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist who worked on Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign, told Fortune that Ossoff is “having a moment.” She said his attacks tying Trump’s personal financial interests to the economy are the kind of argument more Democrats should use, while warning that a national profile cannot rest on one speech or one viral exchange.

From cautious candidate to aggressive incumbent

Ossoff entered national politics in 2017, after Trump picked Rep. Tom Price for health secretary and opened a House seat long considered safe for Republicans. Fortune reported that Ossoff, then a former congressional aide and documentary producer, became a fundraising magnet for Democrats seeking an early way to oppose Trump, but he lost the runoff to Republican Karen Handel.

In his 2020 Senate race against David Perdue, Ossoff ran a more restrained campaign, focusing on Perdue’s business dealings and the Republican response to COVID-19, according to Fortune. His race took on greater stakes after Joe Biden carried Georgia and both Senate contests went to runoffs, with control of the chamber at issue.

As a senator, Ossoff has emphasized constituent services, appropriations for infrastructure and hospitals, veterans’ care and an investigation into Georgia child services programs, Fortune reported. His 2026 campaign, however, has been driven by clips of speeches attacking Trump over Truth Social posts, proposed changes to U.S. money, tax cuts, the Jeffrey Epstein files, Iran policy and business dealings involving Trump’s sons, whom Ossoff calls “Prince Don and Prince Eric.”

Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election remain a central backdrop. Fortune reported that Trump has ordered an investigation into that election and that federal agents seized boxes of ballots from Fulton County, the Atlanta-area Democratic stronghold.

Ossoff pressed that issue while questioning Jay Clayton, Trump’s nominee for national intelligence director, asking who won the 2020 election. When Clayton declined to answer directly, Ossoff accused him of indulging the president’s “delusions,” according to Fortune.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.