Gov. Brian Kemp threw his support behind Mike Collins in his bid for the GOP nomination for Georgia's 10th Congressional District.
"As a conservative small businessman, Mike knows firsthand how the disastrous policies of the Biden administration are hurting hardworking Georgians and communities all across our state," Kemp said in a press release. "I ask fellow Republicans across the district to join me in sending a trusted conservative to Washington!"
Kemp, who is from Athens, and lives in the 10th district, chose to endorse Collins ahead of next Tuesday's high-stakes runoff between Collins and former Democratic state legislator Vernon Jones.
"I'm honored to have Governor Kemp's trust and endorsement in our runoff election for Georgia's 10th Congressional District," Mike Collins said in a statement.
Jones, who is from Metro Atlanta, was previously in the race for governor but stepped aside at the urging of former President Donald Trump, who endorsed David Perdue. Trump subsequently endorsed Jones for the 10th district.
"I'm not going to blindly support a RINO," Jones said of Kemp at a Walton County Republican Party event this week. "I'm not going to blindly support someone I disagree with."
Jones finished just 4,388 votes behind Collins in the primary last month.
This is the second time Collins has run for the seat currently occupied by Rep. Jody Hice. The trucking company owner previously lost his bid in 2014.
Despite not receiving the Trump endorsement, Collins has never criticized the former president, and he doesn't believe Trump's support for Jones means he's not the more conservative of the two.
"Donald Trump didn't endorse Vernon Jones to run for Congress. He endorsed Vernon Jones to get out of that governor's race. He wouldn't have cared if Vernon Jones ran for dog catcher––he would have endorsed him for that," Collins told AccessWDUN in March.
