Jewish Georgians Weigh Ossoff vs. Collins

On Jan. 5, 2021, Democrat Jon Ossoff received 54,944 more votes — out of 4.84 million cast — than incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue to win a runoff.

By a margin of 1.2 percent, the 33-year-old Ossoff became the first Jewish senator elected from Georgia.

Now Ossoff is seeking a second six-year term.

He is the only incumbent Democratic senator running in a state won in 2024 by Republican President Donald Trump.

Holding Ossoff’s seat is critical to Democratic hopes of wresting control of the Senate from Republicans.

Ousting Ossoff is a priority for Republicans hoping to maintain their majority — currently 53 to 47 (including two Independents who caucus with the Democrats).

Ossoff’s Republican opponent in the Nov. 3 general election is U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who defeated former college football coach Derek Dooley in a June runoff. Dooley was backed by Gov. Brian Kemp, who disappointed many Republicans when he opted not to challenge Ossoff.

Collins, a 59-year-old native of Jackson, Ga., was elected in 2022 and re-elected in 2024 from Georgia’s 10th Congressional District — a mix of suburban and rural communities east of metro Atlanta.

Ossoff has topped Collins in three polls of likely Georgia voters conducted since the Republican runoff, by an average margin of 6.6 percentage points, according to realclearpolling.com.

The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia on July 30 shifted the race from “leans Democratic” to “likely Democratic.” The Cook Political Report in April has the race listed as leaning Democratic.

Two debates are scheduled: Oct. 8, hosted by Gray Media television stations in Georgia, and Oct. 13, hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. Given the tone of campaign, sharp disagreements should be expected.

Where Ossoff is a blistering critic of Trump, Collins proudly ties himself to the president.

Ossoff has called Collins a “notorious bigot, antisemite, and extremist.”

Collins has called Ossoff “weak, woke, running scared.”

Ossoff took his oath of office on Jan. 20, 2021, with one hand on a Hebrew Bible that belonged to the late Rabbi Jacob Rothschild, whose tenure as senior rabbi at The Temple was marked by his civil rights advocacy and the bombing of the synagogue by white supremacists.

In his jacket pocket, Ossoff carried copies of the manifests from the ships that brought his paternal great-grandparents to the United States from Eastern Europe.

Ossoff’s father is Jewish, his mother is not. Because Judaism traditionally has not recognized patrilineal descent, Ossoff underwent a formal conversion, including immersion in a mikvah, before becoming a bar mitzvah at The Temple, a Reform congregation.

In a December 2020 op-ed written for the AJT, Ossoff said: “I am descended from Ashkenazi immigrants who fled pogroms at the turn of the 20th century. I was raised among relatives who survived the Shoah. That Jewish upbringing instilled in me a conviction to fight for the marginalized, the persecuted and the dispossessed.”

Ossoff also wrote: “I am a committed supporter of the State of Israel. I have family in Jerusalem, and I am committed to Israel’s security as a homeland for the Jewish people, as I am committed to supporting American diplomatic engagement to negotiate a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

An estimated 148,500 Jews (nearly 90 percent in metro Atlanta) make up 1.3 percent of Georgia’s population.

As a rule of thumb, about 70 percent of the Jewish vote nationally goes to Democratic candidates. Atlanta’s Jewish community is considered to be somewhat more conservative, with 60-65 percent backing Democrats.

Ossoff’s Israel Votes Roil Jewish Community

Of more than 2,400 roll call votes during Ossoff’s time in office, five votes on resolutions that opposed the sale or export of specific U.S.-made weapons to Israel appear to be the fulcrum on which his Jewish support balances.

Republicans hope that these votes persuade disaffected Jewish Democrats to support Collins or, at a minimum, not vote for Ossoff.

Democrats hope that Jewish voters will understand that Ossoff supports Israel while also being willing to criticize its government.

On Nov. 20, 2024, Ossoff voted in favor of two Senate resolutions opposing the sale to Israel of high explosive tank and mortar cartridges. He also voted against a resolution that opposed the export to Israel of guidance kits for joint direct attack munitions, known as JDAMS, an air-to-ground weapon.

All three resolutions, advanced by Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, were overwhelmingly defeated.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Ossoff said, “The United States is and will remain Israel’s closest ally. Our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad. But no foreign government is simply entitled as a matter of right to American weapons with no strings attached. No foreign government, no matter how close an ally, gets everything it wants, whenever it wants, to use however it wants.”

Two days later, an open letter coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and signed by nearly 50 local organizations, synagogues, and schools — a grouping that claimed to represent 90 percent of Georgia’s Jewish population — excoriated Ossoff (and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who backed all three resolutions).

“Your vote demonstrates that your commitment to Israel’s security is not ironclad; rather it comes at the expense of Israeli defense. It not only emboldens Iran and its proxies, it also stands in sharp contrast to the many expressions of support for Israel you have made,” said the letter (whose signatories included the Atlanta Jewish Times).

Within a week, the Savannah Jewish Federation wrote an open letter stating that it “was disappointed” by Ossoff and Warnock and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an op-ed, signed by 22 rabbis from the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements, criticizing the pair.

Ossoff and Warnock received support in an open letter from the Atlanta chapter of J Street, a self-identified “pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy” organization.

That letter, signed by more than 100 members of the community, said: “Their vote, on the joint resolutions of disapproval on sales of specific offensive weapons to the Netanyahu government, sent a strong symbolic message representing a growing portion of the American Jewish community that believes that the US-Israel relationship should be grounded in our laws, national security interests and shared values.”

On July 30, 2025, Ossoff voted for a resolution opposing the export of fully automatic rifles to Israel and against a resolution that opposed the sale of air-to-ground munitions.

Regarding the rifles, an Ossoff statement said: “I do not believe the United States Senate should acquiesce without objection to the extreme mass deprivation of civilians in Gaza, including the intolerable starvation of children, that have resulted from the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Furthermore, these weapons would likely have been allocated to police forces under the control of [Minister of National Security] Itamar Ben-Gvir.”

On the air-to-ground weapons, the statement said: “Despite my opposition to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza, I believe the United States must continue to support the Israeli people, who face the persistent threat of rocket and missile attack and have been subjected to intense aerial bombardment from Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen. Israel’s capacity to strike those who would launch missiles and rockets at Israeli civilians depends upon the deterrence provided by the Israeli Air Force.”

On April 15, 2026, Ossoff voted in favor resolutions opposing the proposed sale to Israel of Caterpillar bulldozers (to which Israel adds armor) and the sale of 1,000-pound bombs. Both motions failed, but the first received 40 votes in favor, a high-water mark for the number of Democratic senators supporting restrictions on military sales to Israel.

Democratic State Rep. Esther Panitch, the only Jewish member of the Georgia General Assembly, who had declared herself “disheartened” by Ossoff’s November 2024 votes on the Israel weapons resolutions, nonetheless endorsed him in a March 2, 2026, Facebook post: “While Senator Ossoff and I have had our disagreements on international policy, when it comes to issues impacting everyday Americans, there is no daylight between us. We have worked side by side to defend women’s rights, advance common-sense gun safety legislation, and make healthcare and housing more affordable . . . I am proud to stand with this team as we work toward a safer, stronger, and more just future.”

Collins Rebuts Antisemitism, Racism Claims

The Jewish community also has concerns about Collins, who is embroiled in controversies that include a son-in-law spouting white nationalist beliefs and a now-former chief of staff fired for briefing white supremacists.

Collins’ son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, has more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram.

CNN reported on July 16 that Scheer “featured in campaign photos, registered to vote at a Collins-owned property, and appearing at his victory party — is a white nationalist influencer who has promoted Nazi imagery and called for ‘clearing our land of other people.’”

Collins’ campaign responded: “Rep. Collins’ lifelong support for Israel is unquestionable and backed by his consistent record in Congress of standing up for Israel and her people.”

Scheer is married to Collins’ daughter, Summer, who Scheer cited as the source of an infographic claiming “proof Jews control our government through finance.”

Collins has been prickly when asked about his son-in-law, abruptly ending a July 30 news conference in Monroe, Ga., when the subject was raised.

Collins did address the matter during an invitation-only July 29 session with about 80 members of the Jewish community, at the Sandy Springs home of businessman and philanthropist Kirk Halpern. The AJT was the only news media present.

“He’s wrong on that issue,” Collins said of Scheer. “I don’t agree with that. There’s no place in this country for antisemitism.”

Collins told the Jewish audience: “Am I America First? You bet I am. But you know what America First means to me? It’s protecting Israel.”

A woman told Collins that she and her friends wanted to vote for him, but to feel comfortable doing so, they needed to hear him specifically denounce white supremacy.

Collins replied: “Hate has no place in this country.”

Halpern later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I saw a good man in my home. You can’t pick your family.”

“If I was in a room with eight neo-Nazis and I had to pick one man to be in that room with me, after Wednesday night I’d pick Mike Collins,” Halpern said. “I say that because there’s no question in my mind that the first thing Mike Collins would do is tell those eight men why they’re wrong. If Mike was unable to convince them, and it got to a physical fight, there’s no question in my mind he’d be fighting alongside me.”

Collins told Axios that Scheer “has had no role in my campaign whatsoever, and I don’t believe or support those views and I have always condemned racism and antisemitism regardless of the source.”

Collins’ chief of staff Kip Talley resigned in July after reports surfaced about Talley (when he was deputy chief of staff) taking part in a group chat that included prominent white nationalists Nick Fuentes and Richard Spenser, and claiming that he could use his influence to free alt-right internet troll Charles C. Johnson, a Holocaust denier and racist, from prison.

Panitch rebuked Collins in a July 16 Facebook post: “Being pro-Israel is not a hall pass for antisemitism. It is not a shield you hide behind when the hatred is in your own family, on your own property, with your own name attached. Standing with Jews an ocean away means nothing if you won’t stand with the 150,000+ Jews who are your neighbors and constituents . . . Condemn it, Congressman. By name. Today. And to every Republican who’s endorsed him: this is your test, too.”

Ossoff and Collins Attack Lines

Ossoff has hammered away at Collins.

“Congressman Mike Collins is a known bigot who has no business serving in either chamber of the United States Congress,” Ossoff told the Capital B Atlanta news website in late July.

During a July 30 online news conference, Ossoff said: “Congressman Mike Collins needs to answer these questions: Will he apologize for his office’s documented ties to prominent white supremacists? Will he release, in full, every single text message, email, or other communication between his office and these prominent white supremacists, and will he ever answer whether he or his business [a family-owned trucking company] paid this neo-Nazi for his services?”

Collins, meanwhile, links Ossoff to the left wing of the Democratic Party.

In an Aug. 6 post on X, Collins wrote: “Jon Ossoff is central casting for the Democratic Socialists of America, and he’s in lockstep with Islamo-Marxist Abdul El-Sayed, who wants to defund the police, open our borders, and bring communism to America’s doorstep. Our nation is at war with forces looking to tear it apart from the inside out. Jon Ossoff is opening the door for them. Those aren’t Georgia values, and they’re not even American values.”

[El-Sayed, who won Michigan’s Aug. 4 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, has said that he is “not DSA” and identifies as “progressive,” but that DSA members can have a role in the party. Following the Michigan primary, Ossoff said, “The primary is in the past and the nominee has my support.”]

High-Stakes Race Brings in Big Money

With control of the Senate at stake, tens of millions of dollars are being funneled into Georgia.

Ossoff has a lopsided edge over Collins in fundraising, but Republicans are looking to level the ledger.

Since Jan. 1, 2025, Ossoff had raised $68.7 million and had $42.5 million available, according to the latest campaign finance filings. Collins in the same period raised just $4.9 million and had $2 million available.

Collins has claimed that only 18 percent of the money Ossoff receives comes from within Georgia, telling the Washington Reporter that Ossoff is “bought and paid for by New York and California donors who don’t understand or care about Georgia’s values or culture.”

Ossoff’s campaign issued an April 16 statement that acknowledged a fundraising trend: “The surge in national cash reflects a new political reality in Georgia. As the state cements its status as a premier battleground, out-of-state money is no longer the exception. It’s fast becoming the norm.”

Ossoff’s campaign also reported that he had received donations from voters in 156 of Georgia’s 159 counties, with the average being for $32.

The Republican Senate Leadership Fund has pledged to spend $44 million to aid Collins and One Nation, a GOP-aligned group, plans to spend $15 million in Georgia.

At the July 29 event with Jewish Atlantans, Collins said of the Senate Leadership Fund: “The calvary is here and they’re gonna come in a lot of different ways. A lot of this race will be on the airwaves. A lot of it will be on social media.”

Editor’s Note: The author of this article is a freelance journalist who writes regularly for the AJT and the publisher was not involved in the reporting of this article.