Mike Collins, facing tough Senate race, will speak at GOP convention
Georgia U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Brian Jack will speak at this week’s Republican Party midterm convention in Dallas, Texas.
The slate of speakers was announced Saturday, and President Donald Trump will deliver remarks both nights, with his main address Wednesday. Vice President JD Vance will deliver the keynote speech Thursday.
It is a much-needed boost for Collins, R-Jackson, whose general election campaign has struggled to gain its footing as he seeks to unseat Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. He and Jack, R-Peachtree City, were among the more than 100 speakers listed.
The lineup includes Trump allies, like Jack, and Republicans in competitive races, like Collins.
Republican Party Chair Joe Gruters said this inaugural midterm convention will allow Republicans to deliver their election year pitch directly to voters.
“Over two action-packed days, we will take Americans through the defining issues of our Party’s agenda and what is at stake in November,” he said in a news release. “Each hour will have its own theme, its own message, and its own voices, building toward President Donald Trump’s vision for the next chapter of American greatness.”
Speaking times for Collins and Jack have not been announced.
Jack faces Democrat Maura Keller in November, but his seat is considered safe. Jack worked in the White House during Trump’s first term and remains close with the president.
Collins has faced a series of controversies throughout his campaign and lags behind Ossoff both in polling and fundraising. The convention will allow him to reach a wide audience of potential supporters watching at home and will put him in rooms with wealthy donors who could write checks during the final weeks of the race.
Ossoff’s team said the trip to Dallas shows that Collins’ priorities are off.
“Bigot Mike Collins would rather spend time in Dallas being Trump’s puppet than provide Georgians answers two months from Election Day on his ties to white nationalism or if he’ll testify in his ongoing ethics investigation,” a campaign spokesperson said.