Republican sounds alarm on rising Dem star: 'This guy's going to be a problem'

DALLAS - There's a rising star in the Democratic Party that is generating buzz for a possible presidential run, but one Republican argues he's the only thing standing in the way of a future "DSA candidate" in 2028.

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., is running to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in one of the most closely watched contests of this midterm election cycle. Ossoff has sought to nationalize their battle, focusing more on President Donald Trump and leaning into viral clips on social media to sell his message.

But Collins told Fox News Digital during the GOP's midterm convention that Ossoff's intentions extended beyond a second term representing the Peach State. Instead, Collins charged that Ossoff is eyeing the White House and using this cycle as a springboard to get there.

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"This guy is nothing but a trust fund kid who's never had a real job in his life," Collins said. "And at the end of the day, and I think the whole puzzle has been put together now, you can put the pieces of this thing so easy."

"He caters to that far-left base, and at the end of the day, we've got to stop him in Georgia," he continued. "If we don't stop him in Georgia, this guy's going to be a problem for the entire country in 2028."

Those puzzle pieces were scattered throughout his voting record, which Collins said aligned over 90% of the time with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., through his support of progressives, like former Maine Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner and Michigan Senate Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, and because the bulk of his campaign donations are from out-of-state.

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Collins contended that the final piece was when the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) opened their first permanent field office in Atlanta last month. The organization has not endorsed Ossoff.

"That just tells you, yes, Jon Ossoff is really running for president," Collins said. "He's going to be the DSA candidate. He uses Georgia as a platform to raise money."

Ossoff's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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He has previously thrown cold water on the notion that he was chasing the White House and told MSNOW last month, "I have zero interest in running for president in 2028, and, frankly, zero interest in the 2028 fantasy football right now."

The first-term senator is considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents on the Democrats' Senate map this cycle, running in a state that Trump won in 2024 over former Vice President Kamala Harris by nearly three points.

Still, he has gained national attention over the summer for his speeches on the campaign trail, particularly when he needled Trump in a viral social media clip bringing into question his relationship with his executive assistant, Natalie Harp.

"He doesn't want to do the job," Ossoff said. "He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar."

That remark stoked a news cycle and earned him accolades from the likes of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who noted that Ossoff was one of the top communicators on the trail when it came to targeting Trump.