Amid heated by-election campaigning, Georgian voters set a record for early voting

Brad Raffensperger praised unprecedented early turnout in Georgia as a fiery Senate debate between Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins erupted over personal attacks.

WATCH: Georgia Senate candidates clash over neo-Nazi allegations and Epstein-related donation

Senator Jon Ossoff and Representative Mike Collins were indicted on charges of neo-Nazi activity linked to the Collins family and campaign contributions from Jeffrey Epstein associate Reed Hoffman.

More than 180,000 Georgians cast ballots on the first day of early voting on Tuesday, setting a record for a midterm election.

State election officials say Tuesday's vote total eclipsed the first day of early voting in 2022 by more than 55,000 votes. Georgia's early voting program runs through October 30.

"This record-breaking turnout proves that voters trust the integrity of our elections," Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement. "It's a testament to our strong election system, overseen by 159 of the best county election officials in the country."

Georgia's contentious U.S. Senate race boiled over Tuesday night as U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff accused GOP challenger Rep. Mike Collins of allowing "neo-Nazi propaganda" to air inside his House, prompting Collins to respond to billions of sexist objections by endorsing Ossoff. Jeffrey Epstein

Its plan: The Justice Department's crackdown on illegal voting put 17 states under close election scrutiny

The exchange took place during the candidates' second and final debate before the Nov. 3 general election, hosted and broadcast by the Atlanta Press Club. Georgia Public Broadcasting Network

Florida anti-Semitism battle explodes as voters head to the polls: 'Political carnage'

During the debate, Ossoff attempted to tie his GOP rival to white nationalism, repeatedly asking Collins to commit to stopping hate speech about his campaign staff, particularly Collins' son-in-law, which Ossoff claimed continued despite the backlash.

Pictured are Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., (left) and Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-G. (right), who are both running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia.

"How weak do you have to be to not stop someone under your roof from spreading neo-Nazi propaganda when you're running for the Senate?" Ossoff pointed to reports about his rival's son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, who was the subject of a CNN investigation into sharing Nazi propaganda images, promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and polling his online fans on whether he should produce a video titled "Why Gen. Z Doesn't Hate Hitler."

Former Intel leader in parliament points to violence "encouraging" democratic rhetoric. Eighth man charged in UFC terror plot

Meanwhile, Collins accused his Democratic rival of fueling threats against his family and refusing to return campaign contributions tied to LinkedIn founder Reed Hoffman.

'Misleading voters': Oussoff warns donors he's falling behind despite Senate fundraising lead

"I'm a little sick of it, John," said Collins. "There's a crazy person in jail right now because of your rhetoric," he claimed, before saying he had received another threat the other day.

"You haven't condemned Reed Hoffman, one of your biggest donors, who is backing you with over a million dollars," Collins replied. "Why don't you denounce it? Why don't you give that money back?"

This sparsely populated red state has quietly climbed to the top of America's financial rankings.