Jon Ossoff

With two months before Sen. Jon Ossoff and Rep. Mike Collins hit the debate stage, and three months until voters hit the polls, voices across Georgia are chiming in for their candidates in a crucial Senate race.

But, they aren't sticking to party lines.

Ossoff and Collins are both coming into the election with a record in Congress, having both served a term in their respective chambers. With their record also comes their baggage. Ossoff has been celebrated for his focus on affordable healthcare but criticized for his perceived weak stance on immigration. Collins has appealed to blue-collar workers but is under a House ethics investigation and accused of supporting white supremacists.

Collins has the Trump endorsement and Ossoff has become one of Trump's latest targets.

Each candidate has a strong party base. Collins leans into MAGA rhetoric by denying the results of the 2020 election and praising President Trump. Ossoff has become one of the faces of the new Democratic Party and even floated as a possible presidential candidate (Ossoff has repeatedly denied intent to run for president in 2028).

It will likely come down to the outside voices, however, who are able to convince the large cohort of swing voters which candidate is a better representative for the Peach State in Washington.

Conservatives line up behind Ossoff

Aside from support from within his own party, Ossoff has garnered a notable amount of support from conservatives both in and out of Georgia.

Shelley Wynters, a conservative talk radio host in Atlanta, was one of the first to speak out in support of Ossoff shortly after the primary election. The self-described "never scared Black and Conservative" media personality said in an interview with the Senator that he saw his first term as a "job interview," and that he hadn't seen any reason to remove Ossoff from his post.

"I'm here to tell you live on the radio that I am team Ossoff for the rest of the summer and I will do everything I can possible on this show to get you re-elected," Wynter said following an interview on air with Ossoff. "I see re-elections as a job interview, and in my humble opinion, I've seen nothing from Senator Jon Ossoff that requires me to say you're fired from the job."

Ossoff's actions while Senator also earned him praise from Georgia Christian broadcaster and "conservative truth-teller" Erick Erickson.

"You talk to farmers in South Georgia, they can get him on the phone. They can get his staff on the phone. They can get help," Erickson said during a recent segment. "You talk to Republicans in Houston County, very Republican part of the state, they know they can reach out to Ossoff, and he doesn't care that they're Republican. If they need something, he's going to get it done."

This message was echoed by two conservative South Georgia mayors in recent interviews with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Mayor Julie Smith, of Tifton, and Mayor Scott James Matheson, of Valdosta, are in nonpartisan positions, but are both openly conservative and registered Republicans.

"He's been very good to South Georgia, and in my nonpartisan role as mayor, I have to look to someone who takes care of their constituents. I'm a Republican, but there are times when a person exceeds the party. They go above and beyond," Smith told the AJC. "I don't have to track him down. He tracks me down."

Matheson, a former conservative radio host who criticized Ossoff, told the outlet his friendship with the senator is "one of the biggest surprises of his life."

"I will take heat for this endorsement, and it doesn't matter. There's no way I can turn my back on this relationship," Matheson told the AJC. "The voters per me in here to do a job, and that man has been absolutely incredible."

And Ossoff's appeal has stretched to conservatives outside the state.

Earlier this week, former GOP Senator Jeff Flake, of Arizona, endorsed Ossoff saying despite their policy differences, Flake applauds Ossoff's character and his commitment to doing the job.

"I'm still a conservative Republican. But character matters. And I want someone in that seat who takes the institution seriously and will protect the institution," Flake told the AJC. "Character is more important. I've been around long enough to know that you'll disagree on issues with people across the aisle, or sometimes in your party. But the more important thing is character. I compare that to somebody who will likely go back and just be a rubber stamp for whatever the president wants."

Trump doubles down on Collins, others don't

President Trump endorsed Collins shortly before his Republican primary runoff against former college football coach and Gov. Brian Kemp-backed candidate Derek Dooley, calling Collins a MAGA "warrior" and said Georgia was a "very special place" in a post on Truth Social.

"It is my Great Honor to endorse 'MAGA' Mike Collins, a Highly Respected Congressman who has been with me from the very beginning, and is running for the United States Senate in Georgia, a very special place to me, and where we just had a BIG Presidential Election Win with the Most Votes Received by any single Candidate in Georgia's History, for any Election," Trump said in his post.

The president doubled down on his endorsement during a recent event at a Marietta, Georgia high school where he talked about Trump Accounts among other topics.

"Maybe the most important man in this room right now isn't here," Trump said during his remarks, noting that Collins stayed in Washington, D.C. for House votes while the president was in Collins' home state. "His name is Mike Collins and he's going to beat Pee Wee Herman (referring to Ossoff)."

Trump said it was his fault Collins was absent, and he called Collins "one of the most highly respected Congressman, Republican or Democrat, in Washington."

Collins' fellow Republicans within Georgia, however, haven't been quite as quick to embrace his race.

Outgoing Governor Brian Kemp has not endorsed Collins for the seat, and Rick Jackson, the Republican nominee for governor has also not associated his campaign with Collins.

Both Collins and Jackson were present at a recent Georgia Chamber Congressional Luncheon in Athens, Georgia this week, but they did not appear together during the event, despite sharing the top of the Republican ticket.

Collins has been endorsed by Turning Point Action, newly-elected representative Clay Fuller, and conservative members of the Georgia State Assembly.

Georgia conservatives may be trying to separate themselves from Collins given an ongoing House ethics investigation and accusations that Collins has been financially supporting white supremacists, one of whom is his own son-in-law.

Collins is under investigation from the House for allegedly misusing taxpayer funds by paying a staffer in his office who did not work. The staffer, who was in a romantic relationship with Collins' former chief of staff, received federal funds. The chief of staff was also under investigation for giving special treatment to the staffer, but he was later fired for posting a message on social media making fun of a woman who attempted suicide after accusing Matt Lauer of rape. Collins denounced the message at the time and said internal chambers were made to his staff.

The investigation is still ongoing, and an initial report found "substantial reason to believe" that Collins misused congressional resources. The future of the investigation is unclear should Collins win the Senate seat.

More recently, a CNN report found Collins' son-in-law, David Alan Sheer II, has spread white nationalist and anti-Semitic rhetoric to a large social media following, and that Sheer, Collins and members of his staff have collaborated with members of white supremacist groups. Collins is also accused of hiring Sheer to do work for his trucking company, supporting Sheer in some ways financially and refusing to denounce Sheer's rhetoric. He has repeatedly dodged questions about Sheer, other than to say, "nobody speaks for me." A spokesperson for Collins said the congressman has been a strong supporter of Israel.

Wynter and Flake, during their endorsements of Ossoff, said Collins' character and alleged misconduct is something they cannot support and part of what pushed them toward the Democrat this election cycle.

Irene Wright covers politics in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].