Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won a second term in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican Rep. Mike Collins. The Associated Press declared Ossoff the winner at 7:55 p.m. EST, less than an hour after polls closed.

The result denied Republicans a seat party strategists had targeted as a top pickup opportunity. Ossoff was the only incumbent Democratic senator seeking reelection in a state President Donald Trump won in 2024, according to the AP.

Closer to Roswell, the Democratic wave carried state Sen. Josh McLaurin to victory in the lieutenant governor's race. McLaurin, an attorney from Sandy Springs, represents a state Senate district that includes portions of Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Sandy Springs, The Current Georgia reported. He defeated fellow state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Forsyth County.

McLaurin will succeed Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor. As lieutenant governor, McLaurin will preside over the state Senate and hold major influence over which bills advance under the Gold Dome.

Fulton County turnout surged

Roswell voters were part of a record-setting early vote across Georgia. The state tallied over 2.8 million early ballots, smashing the 2022 midterm record, according to SaportaReport. Fulton County saw 339,039 early votes, up 10.7% from 306,344 in 2022.

Statewide, about 636,000 early voters had not cast a ballot in the 2022 midterms, SaportaReport found. That group included people who sat out the last cycle, new residents and voters who turned 18 or became citizens since 2022.

Ossoff cast win as rebuke of Trump

Speaking to supporters in Atlanta on election night, Ossoff, 39, framed the results in sharp terms. "In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of a failed lame duck President Donald J. Trump," Ossoff said, according to the AP.

Collins acknowledged the loss in a brief speech. "The results may not be what we wanted tonight, but y'all, that's OK. I'm going to continue to serve," he said, according to the AP. Collins praised Trump, calling it an honor and privilege to serve under him.

How the race played out

Collins represented Georgia's 10th Congressional District since 2023. He won the Republican nomination in a June 16 runoff against former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, according to PBS. Trump endorsed Collins, while Gov. Brian Kemp backed Dooley.

Ossoff held a massive fundraising edge. He raised about $137 million as of Oct. 14, compared to about $11 million for Collins, PBS reported. Republican groups supporting Collins pulled back spending in mid-October, the AP reported.

The candidates clashed over affordability, healthcare, the war in Iran and immigration, according to WABE's voter guide. Collins blamed "Biden-omics" and high taxes for rising costs. Ossoff pointed to Trump administration tariffs and promised to repeal them.

Collins struggled to move past scrutiny over ties to family members and former staffers who have espoused white nationalist and antisemitic views, NPR reported. He also continued to embrace Trump's false claims about widespread election fraud in 2020, according to NPR.

Democrats win control of Congress

Democrats won control of Congress in what the AP described as a widespread repudiation of Trump. The party flipped Senate seats in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina, and held battleground seats in Georgia and Michigan, the AP reported. In the House, Democrats flipped more than two dozen districts.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Georgia governor's race, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of any state, the AP reported.

Voters can find official results through the Georgia Secretary of State's election results page.