Politics
Georgia Senate rivals make final-week pitches on jobs and rising costs
With early voting set to close Friday, Sen. Jon Ossoff and Rep. Mike Collins are focusing their campaigns on household costs and a planned $4 billion Audi plant. Nearly 1.8 million ballots have already been cast, according to the state.
ATLANTA — Georgia’s U.S. Senate candidates spent Monday making competing arguments about the economy as the final week of early voting began, with both seeking support from voters concerned about prices and paychecks.
Republican Rep. Mike Collins and Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff also offered contrasting accounts of who deserves credit for a planned $4 billion Audi plant in Georgia. The facility, expected to create thousands of jobs, would be Audi’s first in the United States.
Collins said his work on the Port of Brunswick helped bring the project to Georgia, describing it as an example of his business approach delivering results for the state.
Ossoff questioned the timing of the plant announcement, which came days before the election, and pointed to the cost of groceries, household energy, fuel and medical care. He blamed Collins for supporting tariffs and health care cuts, among other policies.
Collins, campaigning in Jefferson, countered that inflation reached historic levels during the Biden administration. He said his campaign was traveling about 2,000 miles a week to reach voters and urged supporters to keep turning out.
Ossoff made his appeal in Atlanta, urging eligible Georgians who have not voted to use early voting. “We defend our rights by using them,” he said.
Nearly 1.8 million ballots had been cast statewide by Monday, according to state figures. Early voting is scheduled to end Friday, leaving candidates only a few days to reach voters before the election.