An ‘exciting crowd’ of new faces welcomes Doug Collins during Columbus rally
A Republican Congressman hoping to become Georgia’s newest U.S. Senator made a campaign stop in Columbus Friday as part of a 17 day statewide tour.
Georgia Congressman Doug Collins was met by an enthusiastic crowd of more than 250 supporters outside of the Columbus/ Muscogee GOP Headquarters at 4225 Holley Ave. Collins said he is making more than 60 stops while campaigning for one of Georgia’s two seats in the U.S. Senate.
“Four thousand miles, three feet off the ground, 65 miles an hour in a 150,000 mile SUV sitting right over there. We see the people of Georgia,” Collins said.
Collins is running in the 2020 United States Senate special election for the seat vacated in 2019 by former Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson due to health concerns. Collins faces a crowded field of competitors including Republican U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to Isakson’s seat, and Rev. Raphael Warnock, the leading democratic contender.
“We’ve got people here that we’ve not seen before,” said Alton Russell, chairman of the Columbus/ Muscogee Republican Party. “It’s not that they’re new Republicans, they’re just new people to kind of get involved so it’s a very exciting crowd and a plus for Columbus.”
Collins was joined onstage by Georgia congressman Drew Ferguson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture Gary W. Black Sr., and former governor of Arkansas, political commentator, and 2008 and 2016 Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
Huckabee said he’s been “all in” for Collins since day one.
“It’s because I’ve watched him, I know him, I trust him and I believe the people of Georgia can watch him, and know him, and trust him,” he said.
The winner of the special election will serve the remaining two years of Isakson’s term. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will face each other in a runoff election January 5, 2021.
