Trump ally Doug Collins won’t run for U.S. Senate or Georgia governor in 2022
Former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins will not seek elected office in 2022, he announced in a statement Monday.
Collins, a Donald Trump ally who previously represented Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, said he planned to stay involved, helping conservative candidates get elected in the state.
The former congressman was unsuccessful in his 2020 U.S. Senate bid, finishing third behind Raphael Warnock and Kelly Loeffler. Collins was rumored to have been a possible U.S. Senate or Georgia gubernatorial challenger in 2022. Both Warnock and Gov. Brian Kemp are up for reelection.
Collins joins former U.S. Sen. David Perdue as the big names who have bowed out of the 2022 Republican senate field. Kelvin King and Latham Saddler, two military veterans, have entered the race.
Trump has urged former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker to run. Other high-profile Republicans potentially interested in running include Loeffler as well as U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Drew Ferguson, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Ferguson represents the northern portions of Columbus.
“For those who may wonder, this is goodbye for now but probably not forever,” a portion of Collins’ statement reads. “I believe that we, as conservatives, must be able to clearly communicate our values and will help keep that fight going along.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Trump ally Doug Collins won’t run for U.S. Senate or Georgia governor in 2022."