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EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Republican Congressman Mike Collins is set to launch his campaign for the U.S. Senate in the battleground state of Georgia early next week, sources informed Fox News on Friday.
Collins intends to challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who is vying for re-election in this pivotal southeastern state that President Donald Trump narrowly won in the previous election cycle.
The national Republican Party perceives Ossoff as one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators in the upcoming midterm elections.
A businessman who founded a trucking company, Collins is currently serving his second term representing Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, which encompasses a diverse mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas between Atlanta and Augusta.
MIKE COLLINS PREPS FOR GEORGIA SENATE RUN
The conservative legislator, the son of the late Republican Congressman Mac Collins, has been edging closer to officially declaring his Senate candidacy for several weeks.
“Tires kicked. Fueling up,” Collins wrote in a social media post, which featured a video highlighting his strong ties with President Donald Trump.
“Congressman Mike Collins, he loves this state,” Trump asserts in the video clip, emphasizing their alliance.
Collins was an early supporter of Trump, backing him during the 2016 Republican presidential primaries.
GEORGIA GOP GOVERNOR OPTS OUT OF SENATE RUN
During the 2024 presidential election campaign, as Trump sought to reclaim the White House, Collins actively campaigned on behalf of Trump in crucial early-voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
He attended numerous Trump rallies and helped launch three Trump campaign offices in Georgia.
Additionally, Collins capitalized on his solidly red House district to assist in ten congressional campaigns nationwide, aiming to support Trump-aligned candidates as the GOP defended its slim majority in the House of Representatives.
At the start of the year, Collins reintroduced the Laken Riley Act, a piece of legislation mandating the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with burglary or theft. Named after a Georgia nursing student who tragically lost her life to an illegal immigrant, the case gained national attention.
This legislation swiftly passed through the Republican-controlled House and Senate, marking it as one of the first laws Trump signed during his renewed presidency.
A Republican source emphasized that Collins maintains a strong rapport with Trump and his political team.
Notably, a Georgia-based GOP consultant remarked that “the direction Mike is taking resonates with the America First agenda endorsed by President Trump.”
INSIDER PERSPECTIVES ON COLLINS’ CAMPAIGN
“Mike has a genuine opportunity to appeal to that segment of voters because it aligns with his authentic beliefs,” the anonymous consultant added.
While Trump wields significant influence in Republican primaries, he has yet to express support for any candidate in Georgia’s growing Senate race.
National Republican leaders had hoped to recruit popular two-term Governor Brian Kemp to challenge Ossoff. However, Kemp, who is term-limited, confirmed earlier this year that he will not pursue a Senate race in 2026.
Republican Congressman Buddy Carter, who has represented a coastal Georgia district for a decade, launched his Senate campaign in the spring and is also seeking Trump’s endorsement as he approaches the GOP primary.
Additionally, Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination on Thursday.
Former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, son of the renowned University of Georgia coach Vince Dooley, is pondering a Senate bid. The younger Dooley has a close relationship with Kemp, who is a long-standing friend.
Current polling indicates that Collins may have a competitive edge over other Republican candidates for the party’s Senate nomination, and he appears capable of mounting a strong challenge against Ossoff in the upcoming general election.
Nonetheless, despite Republican optimism, defeating Ossoff will pose its own challenges.
The first-term senator reported raising over $10 million during the second quarter of 2024 alone, boosting his cash reserves to over $15 million.
Democrats in Georgia are strategically targeting Collins’ campaign.
“Immediately after voting to strip health insurance from 750,000 Georgians, Rep. Mike Collins now wants a promotion?” questioned Devon Cruz, spokesperson for the Georgia Democratic Party, in a recent statement. He highlighted the Medicaid cuts stemming from the GOP’s major legislation signed into law by Trump earlier this month.
Cruz warned that “Collins will enter a crowded primary that could leave the GOP nominee severely weakened, while Senator Jon Ossoff builds significant momentum to face whoever emerges from the Donald Trump faction.”
In this evolving and competitive political landscape, all eyes will be on the unfolding dynamics between Collins and Ossoff as the 2024 elections approach.
