Rep. Mike Collins’ Georgia Senate campaign has become engulfed in controversy after multiple local officials accused the MAGA-backed candidate of falsely naming them as endorsers in his GOP runoff fight against former football coach Derek Dooley. Several sheriffs, county commissioners, and Republican party figures said they either supported Dooley, never endorsed Collins, or were surprised to see their names on Collins campaign materials.
The dispute drew attention after Wayne County Sheriff Chuck Moseley said his name appeared on Collins’ campaign website before later being removed. Moseley said he had already contacted the campaign twice to ask for corrections and accused it of failing to fix the issue. He made clear he did not support Collins, saying he would not vote for him even if Collins were the only candidate running.
Questions over the endorsement list spread further when Grady County GOP Chair Jeff Jolly confronted local officials whose names were also connected to Collins. Jolly said he privately asked them why they had endorsed Collins, only for them to respond as if they had no idea what he was talking about. Grady County Sheriff Earl Prince later said he had never spoken with Collins or anyone from his team. County Commissioner Sam Kines said he had only sent a generic reply to a campaign invitation and was shocked to later find himself listed as a supporter.
Not all of the endorsement confusion appeared to be accidental. Some officials said they initially backed Collins but later shifted their support to Dooley. Worth County Sheriff Don Whitaker described the situation as a miscommunication at first, but said he now supports Dooley. Political supporter Jutt Howard also acknowledged changing his position after reconsidering the race.
The endorsement controversy comes on top of another backlash involving Collins’ campaign. Only days earlier, the candidate was criticized over a crude social media attack aimed at a Dooley adviser. After the adviser posted about polling that showed Collins’ lead shrinking in the runoff, an account tied to the Collins campaign responded with a vulgar message. The comment quickly sparked outrage because of the adviser’s family history and the sensitivity of the situation.
Together, the disputes have intensified scrutiny of Collins’ campaign as he tries to hold off Dooley in the heated Republican runoff. The accusations over endorsement misuse and the social media insult have created a growing political problem, raising questions about campaign conduct and the accuracy of the materials Collins has used to present support from local Georgia officials.
