Republican Senate candidate and Representative for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District Mike Collins released an artificial intelligence (AI) advertisement on Monday criticizing Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA).
“Chuck Schumer thinks shutting down the government is a good idea, and Jon Ossoff can never say to NO to his boss or far-left donors,” a post on X by Mike Collins War Room said.
The advertisement features an artificially created Ossoff speaking to voters. In the video, the fake Ossoff says that he voted to keep the government shut down and that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients are not at his New York or California fundraisers.
A Collins campaign spokesman gave AccessWDUN a statement on the video.
“As technology evolves and creates new opportunities to reach and communicate with voters, the Collins campaign will be at the forefront embracing new tactics and strategies that pierce through lopsided legacy media coverage to deliver our message directly to voters,” the statement read.
The campaign also added that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the White House have also used AI to create videos.
Shutdown nears end, health insurance premiums still at the forefront
The latest shutdown news is that House lawmakers will vote on Wednesday to reopen the government after the Senate ended an over-40 day gridlock Monday night.
The deal Monday night, which saw eight Democratic senators breaking rank (although Georgia Senators Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were not among those), did not include a deal to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.
“Premiums are set to double for 1.4 million Georgians and nearly half a million Georgians could lose health insurance altogether. The President refuses to fix it and withholds SNAP benefits while the House has not even to come to work for six weeks,” Ossoff said in a statement on Sunday. “With health care votes ahead, the question is whether Republicans in Congress will join us to prevent catastrophic increases in health insurance premiums.”
It is expected that rates for ACA marketplace insurers may increase by a median of 18% due to the credits expiring. Open enrollment for health insurance started for Georgians on Nov. 1 and will run until Dec. 15 if you want coverage by Jan. 1 of next year. Additionally, Jan. 15 of 2026 is the deadline to have coverage that would begin on Feb. 1 of next year.
Some anticipated increases in Georgia include Blue Cross Blue Shield requesting a 19.4% increase, Cigna HealthCare requesting a 40% increase, and UnitedHealthcare of Georgia requesting a 43.4% increase among many others.
It’s also been estimated that roughly 500,000 Georgians may become uninsured by 2034 due to the expiration of ACA enhanced tax credits.
It remains to be seen if lawmakers will come to the table regarding the issue of health insurance now that the longest shutdown in history is nearing its end.
Republican primary heats up
Ossoff will await a Republican challenger in November of next year following May’s primary. The likely Republican candidates are Rep. Collins, Rep. Buddy Carter for Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley.
The AI advertisement comes as Collins released another advertisement on Monday, criticizing Dooley for his lack of voting in elections.
“Georgia veterans and active-duty warfighters fought for our right to vote and always found a way to get theirs counted, even from combat overseas,” a post from Mike Collins War Room said. “Derek Dooley? He couldn’t be bothered to vote. Twenty years of being derelict in his civic duty—now he’s making excuses.”
Dooley’s campaign shot back on Tuesday.
“Using Veterans Day to score political points tells you everything you need to know about typical politicians. I’m not interested in the mud. I’m focused on serving and delivering results for the people of Georgia, not building a political career,” Dooley said in an X post.
The primary election is set for May 19.
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