Mike Collins moves closer to announcing a bid for Georgia Senate

GOP Rep. Mike Collins is inching closer to a run for Georgia’s Senate seat in 2026, posting a video on X Monday hinting at an upcoming run against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

“Tires kicked. Fueling up,” the two-term House lawmaker said on X, alongside the video that championed his ties to President Donald Trump.

“Congressman Mike Collins, he loves this state,” Trump said in the clip.

A person familiar with the Collins campaign told POLITICO on Monday that Collins is likely to announce a run for the seat soon. The person was granted anonymity to discuss campaign dynamics.

Collins in January reintroduced the Laken Riley Act to Congress, which mandates the detention of any undocumented immigrant charged with theft or burglary and is named after a Georgia nursing student killed by a man who had illegally entered the country. The proposal became the first bill signed into law by Trump in his second term.

Collins’ posts on social media have been blasted by the NAACP and drawn rebukes from Georgia Democrats and former Republican lawmaker Adam Kinzinger. In May 2024, he joked about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then an independent candidate in the presidential campaign, alluding to the assassination of his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy.

The GOP primary to challenge Ossoff has already drawn Republican Rep. Buddy Carter, who is also courting the Trump endorsement and announced a run for Senate in May. Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King, a Republican, is also running for the seat.

The state’s popular Republican governor, Brian Kemp, was seen initially as the heavy favorite in the race. Georgia Republicans have been looking for a marquee recruit since he passed on a run in May.

Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage in the Senate. And just two of the 22 Republican seats up for grabs next year come from states the president won or lost by less than ten points in November.