Sen. Jon Ossoff’s new ad about Georgia’s foster care system has sparked a public fight with the state’s top child welfare official, who accuses him of using struggling kids and a broken agency for campaign credit. The spat digs into oversight work, bipartisan investigations, funding fights and pointed public quotes from both sides as the senator campaigns for re-election.
Ossoff rolled out an ad praising his oversight of Georgia’s foster care problems and touting legislation tied to that probe, presenting it as a record of protecting kids. State Division of Family & Children Services Director Candice Broce pushed back hard, saying the ad looks more like a campaign victory lap than meaningful help. She argues the work of DFCS and its staff has been ongoing and that Ossoff was absent when tangible fixes were needed.
“For five years, I’ve been in the trenches fighting for vulnerable children and foster care reform alongside thousands of DFCS workers. Trust us when we say Jon Ossoff is nowhere to be found,” Broce said in a post on X. “Ossoff didn’t get more funding for DFCS after calling us incompetent and resource-strapped. He didn’t secure more federal support for child advocacy centers despite the State’s requests.”
Broce also faulted Ossoff for failing to change federal rules and speed up adoption processes, saying words in an ad don’t replace the hard daily work. She laid out a list of reforms she says Ossoff did not secure, framing his messaging as out of touch with agency realities. That criticism undercuts the polished campaign spot by pointing to unfinished business inside DFCS.
“He didn’t fix federal law putting group homes out of business,” she continued. “He hasn’t streamlined adoptions for kids placed with loving families. Jon’s ad sounds great, but his words are meaningless to the men and women in the arena.”
Ossoff’s team hit back quickly, labeling Broce an “unqualified partisan political hack” and accusing her of “dangerous incompetence.” They highlighted findings from oversight work that flagged serious dangers for children in state custody and insisted the senator’s investigation brought problems to light. A campaign spokesperson argued a wide range of parties, including judges and former foster kids, confirmed systemic dysfunction.
“The Office of the Child Advocate, juvenile court judges, former foster children, nonpartisan advocates, investigative reporting, and Senator Ossoff’s yearlong investigation have laid bare the deep and dangerous dysfunction at DFCS,” a campaign spokesperson said.
Broce disputes the portrayal of her actions and rejects the political framing, pointing to her background in law and state government leadership. She notes her prior roles overseeing multiple agencies and says the agency has been working under hard conditions, including placement shortages and complex behavioral cases. Her stance is that criticism should come with offers to help, not just headlines.
“Candice Broce is a partisan political hack irresponsibly placed in charge of care for the state’s most vulnerable kids,” the Ossoff spokesperson said. “Instead of whining that her dangerous incompetence was made public, she should fix her broken agency.”
The exchange widened when Broce contrasted Ossoff’s record with other officials’ hands-on efforts, arguing community outreach and adoption measures show a different kind of engagement. She singled out another senator’s work as an example of practical support, pressing the point that political theater does not equal policy fixes. Her message is blunt and framed to appeal to voters who want tangible results over press statements.
“Compare his child welfare record to Warnock’s. It’s crystal clear which U.S. Senator from Georgia cares about vulnerable families and kids, and it’s not Jon,” Broce said in her X post.
The fight lands as Ossoff seeks a second term in a tightly watched race, running against a Republican challenger who won his primary after a runoff. With child welfare now a public battleground, the candidates and agency leaders are trading sharp lines and policy claims instead of letting the issue fade. Voters in Georgia will see both the ad and the rebuttals as they weigh who best deserves to tackle the state’s foster care challenges.
