Jon Ossoff widens fundraising edge over Mike Collins

Today’s newsletter highlights:

• Test your knowledge with our news quiz.
• Keisha Lance Bottoms interview clip in Rick Jackson ad draws WABE rebuke.
• USPS intercepts a suspicious letter bound for the Georgia secretary of state’s office.

Money gap

The latest federal fundraising disclosures delivered another blow to Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in the U.S. Senate race.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has roughly $26 million in the bank for the final stretch of his reelection campaign. Collins barely has $1 million.

The staggering disparity adds to Collins’ challenges as he tries to close Ossoff’s lead and convince local and national Republicans he still has a fighting chance.

Never a prolific fundraiser, the Republican closes the quarter with one of the smallest war chests of any Senate candidate in a competitive race in the nation.

And it’s one of the thinnest campaign checkbooks in recent Georgia history. Take a look at Collins’ GOP predecessors in Senate races.

• Herschel Walker had $7.4 million in the bank at the same stage of his 2022 run.
• U.S. Sen. David Perdue had about $8.2 million on hand in his 2020 race against Ossoff.
• Even Republican U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who faced a snoozer of a reelection contest in 2016, had about $2.2 million heading into October. That’s roughly twice Collins’ current balance.

And with national Republicans steering resources to other battlegrounds, Collins has no obvious major financial lifeline in sight.

Meanwhile, the disclosures also offer an early glimpse of the jockeying for Georgia’s other Senate seat in 2028. Here are a few other notable figures:

• U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is already preparing for a potentially expensive 2028 reelection battle. The Democrat reported more than $4.1 million in the bank.
• U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, a potential GOP challenger to Warnock, ended the quarter with $1.3 million on hand.
• U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter is still feeling the financial sting of his failed Senate bid this year. The Republican reported about $60,000 in the bank and $3.5 million in debt, reflecting loans he made to his campaign.
• U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, a rising GOP leader with close ties to President Donald Trump, reported about $1.2 million in the bank.

Friday news quiz

Good morning! How closely did you follow the news this week? Find out by taking our quiz. You’ll find the answers at the end of the newsletter

Democrats are trying to tie their Republican opponents to Donald Trump. What politician are Republicans trying to connect to their Democratic opponents?

• A) Former President Barack Obama.
• B) Democratic nominee for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
• C) U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
• D) U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has criticized Mike Collins, his GOP opponent, for his son-in-law’s white nationalist social media posts. Collins responded by criticizing Ossoff’s connection to what person?

• A) Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
• B) Former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams.
• C) Tech billionaire Reid Hoffman.
• D) Former President Joe Biden.

The quality of Georgia daycares are rated using a three-star system. But the ratings can sometimes mislead parents. How?

• A) The system is set by a panel of elected officials. Daycare owners often contribute to their campaigns, leading to concerns about favoritism.
• B) The state does not reconsider or strip the star rating of daycares, even after it cites them for serious safety incidents.
• C) The state’s criteria has not been updated since the mid-1970s.
• D) State inspectors are short-staffed, creating yearslong delays in inspections.

Republican Rick Jackson has a vast business empire with companies that work in a variety of areas. Which one of these areas is not part of Rick Jackson’s holdings?

• A) Jackson has invested in a number of Hollywood movies, including one starring Billy Crystal.
• B) Jackson is a part owner of a Texas oil refinery.
• C) Jackson is an investor in an artificial intelligence company that gives real-time information to target potential customers.
• D) Jackson is part owner of a minor league hockey franchise.

Out of context

Republican Rick Jackson’s campaign for governor is drawing a sharp rebuke from WABE after using footage of veteran journalist Rose Scott in a new attack ad against his Democratic opponent.

The ad, titled “Running,” features a clip from a 2021 WABE documentary in which Scott pressed Keisha Lance Bottoms about her decision not to seek a second term as Atlanta mayor.

In a pointed joint statement, WABE and Scott said they do not “authorize or endorse” the use of the clip.

“The excerpt used in the advertisement has been presented outside its original context,” Scott said. “WABE, Closer Look, and I do not endorse any candidate or campaign.”

It’s not the first time Jackson’s campaign has faced demands to stop using material in its ads.

Last week, the family of Secoriea Turner, the 8-year-old girl shot and killed in Atlanta while Bottoms was mayor, demanded Jackson pull an ad featuring her mother’s anguished 911 call and images of the child.

Jackson’s campaign did not take it down, saying it would continue highlighting Bottoms’ record.

Suspicious letters

The U.S. Postal Service intercepted a suspicious letter bound for the Georgia secretary of state’s office this week, a spokesperson for the secretary’s office said, as federal authorities investigate a series of similar mailings to state election officials and congressional offices across the country.

The FBI said Thursday that the bureau and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating “suspicious” mailings nationwide. The investigation comes days after early voting started in Georgia for the Nov. 3 midterms.

The origins of the mail bound for the secretary’s office are unclear and the FBI would not confirm specific instances.

“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the FBI said in a statement. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”

The investigation echoes instances in 2024 when offices in Georgia and more than a dozen other states received suspicious mailings.

In a joint statement, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors said they are “deeply concerned by these incidents.”

“As we have each stated in the past, threats against election officials and workers have no place in our democracy,” the groups said.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, his family and members of his staff have faced threats since rejecting false claims that President Donald Trump won Georgia in 2020 and resisting his push to overturn results.

False accusations also upended lives and led to death threats against county election workers in the tumultuous aftermath of that election.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, Greg Bluestein is joined by Tim Miller, host of “The Bulwark” podcast, to unpack Ossoff’s polling advantage over Collins and the still-competitive governor’s race.