One of the marquee midterm races for Senate Democrats dreaming of a party takeover is between two candidates who are no strangers to cultivating viral moments.<\/p>\n

But Democrats are banking on Sen. Jon Ossoff, with his tightly-choreographed campaign, ultimately prevailing over Rep. Mike Collins in the Georgia Senate race.<\/a><\/p>\n

Democrats are looking to defend a state President Donald Trump won by just over two percentage points in 2024. Two years later, any misstep could carry enormous consequences.<\/p>\n

However, Georgia Democrats and others who have worked with Ossoff \u2014 or seen him behind-the-scenes \u2014 say he is meticulous about how he communicates and oversees all the details of his campaign\u2019s work. Michael Vainisi, a content strategist who has worked with Democratic presidents and senators in the past, described Ossoff\u2019s speeches as \u201coptimized for clipping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ossoff\u2019s speech over the weekend was no exception: From a Midtown Atlanta rally stage, he quipped of Trump, \u201cHe doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace, gifted by the Emir of Qatar. He was referencing Natalie Harp, the president\u2019s executive assistant.<\/p>\n

The one-liner has since drawn backlash from Republicans<\/a> \u2014 but also over 5 million views on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very, very involved in almost anything that kind of has his name on it or comes out of him,\u201d said Seth Clark, a Georgia Democrat who has worked with Ossoff on statewide legislative priorities.<\/p>\n

One Democratic operative close to the campaign said, \u201cthere are no decisions that get made that he doesn’t sign off on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collins is also known for doing his own messaging and using social media to develop a personal brand. During the 2023 GOP speakers\u2019 race, he gained national attention<\/a> for peppering his social media feed with memes of his party\u2019s chaotic sprint to replace Kevin McCarthy.<\/p>\n

His X posts have also gotten him into trouble. In May 2024, for instance, Collins captioned a video<\/a> of white students at the University of Mississippi taunting a black pro-Palestine protestor with: \u201cOle Miss taking care of business.\u201d He later had to issue a statement clarifying he did not condone \u201cany form of discrimination \u2014 racism or otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public polling shows Ossoff currently leading Collins in the Georgia Senate race.<\/p>\n

What else we\u2019re watching:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\u2014 JOHNSON: DEMS IN IDEOLOGICAL ‘CIVIL WAR’: <\/b>Speaker Mike Johnson on the campaign trail Monday aimed to stoke fears among voters that the Democratic Party is being overtaken by its far-left flank.<\/p>\n

Democrats are \u201cin the midst of an open civil war\u201d between moderate and progressive factions, Johnson said at an event in Virginia while stumping for vulnerable Rep. Jen Kiggans \u2014 and added that House and Senate Minority Leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer are powerless to stop it.<\/p>\n