Doug Collins officially bows out of 2022 election cycle
News, State & National April 26, 2021
GAINESVILLE, Ga – Former Ninth District Congressman Doug Collins (R) announced his intentions to not run in 2022 for either the governor or U.S. Senate.
Collins joined a law firm and started his own radio program following his loss in the 2020 primary for retiring Senator Johnny Isakson’s (R) seat. Raphael Warnock (D) went on to win the seat in the January run-off, but it will be up again in 2022 once the term officially expires.
In an online statement, Collins said, “this is goodbye for now, but probably not forever. I do plan on staying involved in shaping our conservative message to help Republicans win back the House and the Senate and help more strong conservative candidates get elected here in Georgia. I believe that we, as conservatives, must be able to clearly communicate our values and I will help keep that fight going.”
I’m announcing today that I will not be a candidate for any office in the next election cycle. Read more ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/IruVtnjZl7
— Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) April 26, 2021
The former Representative served the Ninth District from 2013 to 2021 and became a strong supporter of President Donald Trump (R).
Now that Collin’s out of the race, it opens doors for Georgia Republicans who were possibly waiting in the wings for his decision.
Two Republicans have announced intentions to run against Senator Raphael Warnock: military veterans and businessmen Kelvin King and Latham Saddler. President Donald Trump has encouraged UGA hero Hershel Walker to enter the race.
Many speculate Congressman Buddy Carter (R), and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr will enter the Senate race.
As for Governor, Brian Kemp’s up for reelection and many expect Stacey Abrams (D) to run again.
After Kemp denied Trump the opportunity to overturn Georgia’s election results, the former President actively pushed Collins to primary the governor. Trump’s vowed to campaign in Georgia and remove the elected officials who didn’t side with him.
So far, former Democrat Vernon Jones (R) has thrown his hat into the gubernatorial primary ring.
Kemp appeared to win some public support back by signing the election integrity act last month, but it’s unclear how many rural GOP voters will fall in line at the ballot box. According to Republican activist Debbie Dooley, 15 local GOPs “passed resolutions to essentially censure” the governor on April 10 and 17.
Doug Collins still evaluating his 2022 options
BKP Politics, News February 17, 2021
ELLIJAY, Ga – Former Congressman Doug Collins didn’t rule out a potential governor or U.S. Senate run in 2022. He confirmed he’s weighing his options and would make a decision in the future.
“I’m concerned about conservatism right now,” Collins expressed. “If that means I need to be on the ballot, I’ll be on the ballot.”
There’s a divide in the Republican party between Trump supporters and those trying to pull away from the embattled former President, especially after January 6.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R – Kentucky) appeared to try to appease both sides by voting to acquit Trump and then condemn his actions in a follow-up speech.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
Collins stated that McConnell’s always been about “McConnell and the Senate,” not the America First agenda set forth by Trump. On Tuesday, February 16, Trump responded to McConnell’s speech. In it, he called the minority leader a “dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack” and forewarned Republican candidates that they “will not win again” following McConnell.
“I’m very disheartened, and I think it was disingenuous of McConnell to make [the statement] after the fact. In my mind, it’s hard to say, well, it was unconstitutional, so I just voted to acquit, but then give a scathing speech and op-ed where basically, he said, ‘I hope he gets charged in court. You don’t do that.’” Collins remarked about McConnell’s actions.
The former Congressman commented how he’s talked to people all over the country who are tired of “the work as usual” and want honesty.
“We’ve got to get all Republicans on the same page,” Collins stated. “There has to be a fix here. The President laid out a great vision. We saw a lot of stuff, and now they can’t be well, we don’t like some of what he did, so we’re going to turn and try to do it differently. That’s going to be a hard row.”
President Trump asked Doug Collins if he wanted to run for Governor during one of his rallies for David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Trump’s made it clear he intends to find someone to primary Kemp after the Governor refused to overturn the election.
Earlier this week, former Senator David Perdue (R – Ga) filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission for a potential 2022 Senate run against Senator Raphael Warnock (D – Ga).
Voter Confidence
Approximately 100,000 voters in the Ninth and Fourteenth Districts stayed home during the January 5 runoff. Many of those voters lost faith in the system.
Doug Collins with President Trump
“You let somebody else talk you out of doing what this Constitution gives you the right to do,” Collins expressed to those who stayed home. He added if those people voted, David Perdue at least would have kept his seat.
On January 5, the top vote earner was Senator Raphael Warnock (R-Ga), the second Republican Public Service Commissioner Bubble McDonald, and Senator Jon Ossoff (R-Ga) came third. Republicans turned out, but the Republican stronghold districts stayed home.
“You can’t tell me that Republicans, if they had just shown up that we couldn’t at least get David over the line,” Collins emphasized. “If you did not vote on [January 5] because you let somebody else talk you out of it, I can’t help you.”
He understood that people feel disgruntled after the General Election, but they need to focus and get their heads back in the game.
However, Collins believes that Georgia Republicans need Trump to win in the state. The party needs to find candidates who can win and effectively get the message out.
“We’ll have an advantage because Joe Biden is frankly so bad, and the House and Senate have shown their true colors. We’re going to have plenty to run against, but if we have people who won’t vote, it’s going to be a problem,” the former Congressman stated.
Collins ended the interview by telling listeners to look out for information soon about his future apart from running for office.
https://youtu.be/UgnSFR8n5J0Is Trump endorsing Doug Collins for Governor in 2022?
Feature News, Featured Stories, News December 10, 2020
Ellijay, GA: As President Trump’s dissatisfaction with Governor Brian Kemp continues to grow, he appears to be pushing Representative Doug Collins as a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2022.
How does Governor @BrianKempGA allow certification of votes without verifying signatures and despite the recently released tape of ballots being stuffed? His poll numbers have dropped like a rock. He is finished as governor! @RepDougCollins
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2020
Earlier today, Trump called Kemp out for his stance on the November election, asking how Kemp “allow[s] certification of votes without verifying signatures and despite the recently released tape of ballots being stuffed?” He then mentioned Kemps falling poll numbers.
According to a Morning Consult poll, since the General Election, Kemp’s approval rating fell from 86% to 77% among Georgia Republicans and 52 percent to 46 percent among overall voters. His disapproval ratings almost doubled, rising from 10 percent to 19 percent.
The latest tweet showcased the souring relationship between Trump and Kemp because the governor rejects the widespread voter fraud theory and won’t overturn the election. In 2018, Trump endorsed Kemp tipping the election in his favor.
At the end of the tweet, the President tagged Ninth District Representative Doug Collins (R), who is leaving office in January. Collins has always been a staunch supporter of Trump and recently ran for Senate. He came third in the November Primary, and Senator Kelly Loeffler and Raphael Warnock advanced to the January 5 runoff. However, Trump seems to be planting the idea of a governor run in Collins and the public’s mind.
In truth, Trump isn’t the first to jump on the idea of Collins for Governor. The Towns County GOP created “Collins for Governor 2022” shirts weeks ago. They echoed the sentiment among several Georgia Republicans that Kemp isn’t listening to his constituents and it’s time to find someone else. On Sunday, Kemp refused to call the General Assembly into special session to dedicate electors, calling it unconstitutional. The governor came out in support of election reforms going forward, which the General Assembly is discussing.
As for Collins, his spokesperson released the following statement:
“As Congressman Collins said the other day, the only political decision he’s focused on right now is making sure the people of Georgia send Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue back to the Senate in January.”
Collins served Northeast Georgia as the Ninth District Representative in the U.S. House since 2013. He’s a practicing military chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and attorney. Married to Lisa, a public-school teacher, they have three children, a daughter Jordan and two sons Copelan and Cameron.
Vernon Jones speaks on Trump Rally and crowdsurfing
Featured Stories October 19, 2020
Fresh off his weekend and an event where he “crowd-surfed” to a young man in a wheelchair because he wanted a picture, Georgia State Representative, Vernon Jones (D) says, “Let me be clear about one thing. I’m committed to this President. I believe in this President. I took a leap of faith and I believed in that crowd and that crowd caught me.”
This was not Jones’ first event in support of President Donald Trump either. He is campaigning for the President in the current elections saying that he is a life-long Democrat, but he would not vote for Joe Biden.
Comparing the two, Jones said that Biden has destroyed black men and women through mass incarceration. He has a record of doing nothing whereas Trump has produced results like the First Step Act restoring families.
Focusing on business and the economy, Jones listed several things as accomplishments in Trump’s Presidency like correcting trade agreements to a fair agreement for America, grew the economy evidenced by businesses expanding and job growth, increased pay for those in military service, and supported historical black college funding.
Jones said, “He has done more in the past 47 months than Joe Biden has done in the past 47 years.”
He added that people are being shamed for supporting Trump by the media and others as they are being portrayed as racists and bigots. But these people are just people. People who don’t care what color you are, people who just love their country.
Many Democrats are turning in support of the President and for himself, according to Jones, because they see the craziness in their own party, the anger in their own party, and the violence in their own party.
Jones referenced the incident over the weekend of a Trump supporter who was attacked and lost two teeth in the beating he took. He said this is the game that these liberals are playing. They are trying to incite fear through violence, fear through the pandemic, and fear through the media.
In full support of Trump, he said in an interview that the President is the best hope in support of our first and second amendment rights. He later added that voting for Biden isn’t even a vote for Biden as president. “He wouldn’t be the president, it would be Kamala Harris,” he said.
He added that she would be even scarier.
Georgia State Representative, Vernon Jones (D)
Going down the ballot from Trump, Jones also showed his support for Doug Collins and the work he has already done for Georgia as a Representative for the 9th Congressional District. While he didn’t specifically comment on Loeffler, he did say that Warnock was the wrong choice saying, “… it’s a vote for our civil liberties to be lost. It’s a vote for illegal immigration. It’s a vote for taking away the tax cut. He is dangerous.”
However, he didn’t stay long with this race and returned again to the Presidential Election and its importance as he said he was going to continue supporting and campaigning for Trump through his birthday even, October 31. He said that despite the polls, he wants Georgia to be all for the president in his re-election. Especially since the opposition has the major media supporting and propping up Biden’s campaign.
Jones pointed to the media and incidents with Biden meeting with Russian officials. He asks why none of them are asking Biden about it and why he or anyone in his campaign wouldn’t denounce the allegations or answer the questions.
With more events coming and debates on the way, Jones said he is looking to continue campaigning hard as he stands behind his words and endorsements.
It was a common theme during his statements. Constantly focused on the election, on Trump, and on the future of America. Many other stories are focused on his crowd surfing and the meaning or consequences of that day.
Jones stated in the video, “Show me the next crowd. I’ll do the same thing.”