Senate Candidate Mike Collins speaks with Whitfield County ahead of runoff
DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) – Representative Mike Collins joined State Representative Clay Fuller in Dalton to speak with voters in Whitfield County ahead of the upcoming Georgia Senate runoff election.
With the runoff just days away, Collins met with supporters to discuss his campaign priorities and several issues facing the state and nation.
Collins is facing former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley in the Republican runoff.
The winner will advance to challenge incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff in the general election.
During the event, Collins highlighted his conservative platform and support for President Donald Trump.
“As a matter of fact, I’m unapologetically for God, Trump, and prosperity. I believe in a strong military. By gosh, peace through strength works, doesn’t it?”
Collins also criticized his opponent and discussed issues surrounding women’s sports.
“This guy is fully backed by those people in California and New York. Who in their right mind would vote to allow men in girls’ sports?”
The candidate also addressed the growing presence of artificial intelligence data centers and the impact they can have on local communities.
Collins stated there is a role for the federal government in supporting technological advancement but emphasized that local governments should have a strong voice when it comes to development decisions.
“We’re in a race with AI, but if a data center goes into a local community and destroys infrastructure, you didn’t do good. You need to make sure it’s a fit. At the end of the day, it needs to be local control.”
When asked about an immigration case involving a student whose arrest sparked debate across state lines, Collins said he was not familiar with the specifics of the situation but reiterated his support for legal immigration.
“Yeah, I’m not familiar with that issue at all. What I will say is we need immigrants to come into this country, but you need to come in the right way. At the end of the day, if you don’t enforce our laws, we don’t have a country.”
The Georgia Senate runoff election will take place next Tuesday.
News 12 will continue to provide coverage leading up to Election Day.
