JUST IN: Winner Declared In First Swing State Senate Race

Democrat incumbent Jon Ossoff (D-GA) has been projected as the winner of Georgia’s U.S. Senate election by Decision Desk HQ shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Ossoff defeated Republican challenger Mike Collins in order to secure a second term in the U.S. Senate.

As of early evening returns, with approximately 1.7 percent of expected votes counted around 7:19 p.m. ET, Ossoff led with 66,956 votes (89 percent) to Collins’s 8,288 votes (11 percent), according to NBC News data powered by the Associated Press. Officials noted that full tallies remained incomplete, with an estimated 4.4 million votes still to be processed statewide.

The early margin was consistent with pre-election expectations. Late public polls had shown Ossoff ahead by roughly 8 to 15 points, while n Atlanta Journal-Constitution/University of Georgia survey conducted October 7–15 found Ossoff at 48 percent and Collins at 40 percent among likely voters, with about 12 percent undecided.

BREAKING: Jon Ossoff is projected to win the GA US Senate General Election.

📸: @DecisionDeskHQ pic.twitter.com/I38Eda9i6R

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 4, 2026

Ossoff first won the seat in the January 2021 runoff against then-Senator David Perdue, receiving 50.6 percent of the vote. He entered the 2026 race as the only Democratic senator seeking reelection in a state carried by President Donald Trump in 2024.

Collins, a two-term member of the U.S. House representing Georgia’s 10th Congressional District and a trucking executive, secured the Republican nomination after a June runoff against Derek Dooley, the candidate preferred by Governor Brian Kemp.

Georgia law requires a candidate to receive a majority of the vote. If none does, the top two finishers advance to a runoff scheduled for December 1. The Decision Desk HQ projection indicated Ossoff was positioned to clear that threshold without a runoff.

Ossoff held a substantial fundraising advantage, raising well over $100 million across the cycle compared with roughly $9–11 million reported for Collins. Turnout figures and complete county-level results were still being compiled at the time of the initial projection, with mail and early in-person ballots typically reported first in Georgia.

The projection marked a Democratic hold in a state that has produced competitive statewide outcomes in recent cycles. Full official results will determine the precise margin and confirm whether Ossoff’s share exceeds 50 percent.

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