Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) is inching closer to launching a Senate campaign as Republicans scramble to find a consensus candidate who can defeat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).
Last week, Collins met with James Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs. Collins said that while he made the trip to the White House to discuss a variety of legislative topics, the Georgia Senate race did come up.
We’re told Collins is waiting until the end of the second quarter — which closes today — to officially jump into the race. An announcement could happen in the coming weeks.
When asked about his White House meeting, Collins jokingly told us, “You can’t keep a secret in this town.”
But the Georgia Republican followed up by saying he’s “still taking a serious look at [running for Senate].”
Currently, the only two major contenders in the race are Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and state insurance commissioner John King. But neither of them is gaining much traction or building support, as we previously reported.
President Donald Trump hasn’t directly weighed in on the race yet. And several members of the delegation said they’ll end up backing whoever Trump and Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp support.
For what it’s worth, Collins has sought to build a strong relationship with Trump and spearheaded the Laken Riley Act – the first piece of legislation the president signed into law since he assumed office for his second term.
Carter has also been circulating internal polling showing he has an edge in the race and that an endorsement from Trump would give him an “insurmountable lead.”
After years of recruitment failures in the Peach State, the GOP is laser-focused on getting this cycle right. Trump discouraged Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from running. Ossoff is by far the most vulnerable Senate Democrat up for reelection.
Democrats are already going after Collins for his support of the GOP reconciliation package. The Georgia Democratic Party called out Collins’ recent comments encouraging kicking people off Social Security and Medicaid.
