One of Former president Donald Trump’s staunchest defenders, Doug Collins, has decided against challenging Democrat Raphael Warnock for his Georgia Senate seat, or about challenging Governor Brian Kemp in the Republican primary.
Collins released a statement on Twitter revealing his intentions.
Collins’ statement indicated he has every intention of staying connected to the GOP party and the upcoming midterm elections.
“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.”
Collins was actually considered to be one of the best Republican challengers to face Warnock in 2022, despite the fact he flopped in his Senate bid last year. Collins, a former congressman who was the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, came in third in the November 2020 special election behind Warnock and Kelly Loeffler. It certainly didn’t help that the National Republican Senatorial Committee threw its support behind Loeffler, the incumbent selected by Kemp.
He joins former Senator David Perdue as well-known Georgia conservatives who have said, “Thanks, but no thanks” to jumping back into the political fray. Collins sitting out 2022 leaves the Republican Party with a thin bench of candidates for the Senate race. Latham Saddler and Kelvin King are already running. But the most intriguing option may be former NFL star Herschel Walker. He’s a University of Georgia gridiron legend and someone who Trump has publicly implored to run for office. Walker is also a political novice who also happens to currently be a resident of Texas, not Georgia.
As for the governor’s race, Vernon Jones has already announced he intends to challenge Kemp in a primary. Also, Democrat Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost to Kemp in 2018, is expected to make another run at Governor next year.
