Republicans are privately worried that Trump-backed Mike Collins’ Senate campaign is tanking – after being battered by scandals, an ethics investigation and a staggering fundraising gap.
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who is running for reelection, is building what increasingly looks like a formidable advantage.
An August survey by InsiderAdvantage, conducted among 800 likely voters, found Ossoff leading Collins 50 percent to 43 percent, with seven percent undecided and a margin of error of 3.4 percent.
The poll comes as Ossoff has built a commanding lead over the summer months, settling off alarm bells for Republicans.
Now, Collins’ campaign is being described as having ‘gone disastrously wrong,’ with a series of setbacks leaving Republicans questioning whether Collins can defeat Ossoff in November.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Republican strategists are increasingly concerned about the campaign’s fundraising, controversies and ability to break through with Georgia voters.
And the stakes go far beyond one Senate seat.
Rep. Collins has faced scrutiny over a House ethics investigation and revelations concerning controversial social-media activity by people in his orbit, including his son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II- whose online persona supports white nationalist and antisemitic views
An August survey by InsiderAdvantage, a Georgia-based pollster, found Ossoff leading Collins 50 percent to 43 percent, with seven percent undecided. The margin of error was 3.46 percent
As of June 30, Jon Ossoff’s campaign had raised approximately $98 million during the election cycle, including about $77.3 million since the beginning of 2025, according to Federal Election Commission filings
Republican strategists are warning that a poor showing by Collins could drag down candidates across the GOP ticket in a state that Republicans once considered safely within their reach.
‘Most politicos see the race, once considered a toss-up, as firmly blue,’ the Wall Street Journal reported, describing the situation as a major disappointment for Republicans.
Democratic strategist Mike Nellis called Mike Collins an ‘absolute disaster of a candidate for the Republicans,’ though he acknowledged that Collins could still win because Georgia remains a closely contested battleground.
‘But putting him up against a politician as talented as Ossoff, who is running basically a flawless campaign, was a tremendously stupid thing for Republicans to do,’ Nellis told the Daily Mail.
Nellis said the situation was ‘entirely of Trump’s making,’ arguing that the president has repeatedly elevated candidates in Senate races who are unpopular with voters.
‘Trump keeps elevating people in Senate races whom voters hate. He’s doing the same thing in Texas right now,’ Nellis said.
He pointed to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying, ‘Texas likely would not be as competitive if Donald Trump hadn’t endorsed Ken Paxton, but here we are. Now they’re spending tens of millions of dollars there.’
On Georgia, Nellis added, ‘They’ve basically given up on Georgia. Just, I mean, bonkers-bad party building, and it’s going to cost his party in the midterms.’
Collins had raised about $7.4 million through June 30, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Collins’ family Christmas card featured his son-in-law David Alan Scheer II, who posts anti-Semitic and white nationalist views on his social media
Scheer has also shared and engaged with content connected to Patriot Front, an organization described by civil rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, as a white nationalist and white supremacist group
The trouble began almost immediately after Collins launched his campaign.
His official campaign ‘war room’ posted a launch video featuring the slogan ‘Georiga, Let’s Ride’ – misspelling the name of the state he was seeking to represent.
But what initially looked like an embarrassing campaign gaffe was followed by a string of far more serious controversies.
Collins has also faced scrutiny over a House ethics investigation into allegations that his chief of staff used congressional resources to hire an intern for a no-show job.
A House Ethics Committee report released in January said there was ‘substantial reason to believe’ Collins had used congressional resources for unauthorized purposes. Collins has called the allegations meritless.
Revelations concerning controversial social-media activity by people in Collins’ orbit, including his son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, have also engulfed the campaign in controversy.
The Daily Mail previously reported that Scheer, who lives on property owned by Collins, promoted white nationalist ideology, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and Nazi imagery on social media.
Among his posts were comments calling for Muslims to be deported and material promoting the white nationalist movement.
Scheer has not publicly offered a substantive denial of the posts described in the reporting. Collins, however, has sought to distance himself from his son-in-law’s views, saying Scheer has no role in his campaign and condemning the comments.
Collins also said the material was not representative of his own views.
A former intern for Collins was also photographed in KKK garb, further complicating the Republican’s efforts to broaden his appeal to Georgia voters.
The controversies have continued to overshadow his campaign, but ultimately, the biggest problem is money.
Ossoff has built one of the largest Senate campaign war chests in the country, with nearly $98 million raised this election cycle, according to the Journal.
Collins, by comparison, had raised about $7.4 million through June 30, according to Federal Election Commission filings. His campaign committee reported roughly $2.08 million in cash on hand at the end of June.
The enormous fundraising disparity gives Ossoff significantly more money to spend on his reelection campaign.
Republican-aligned outside groups are attempting to close the gap with major spending commitments aimed at keeping the seat competitive.
But the financial disparity illustrates the fundamental problem confronting Collins.
He is running against an incumbent who has transformed himself into a national fundraising powerhouse.
The growing concern inside Republican circles is not simply that Collins could lose.
It is how badly he could lose.
The Journal reported that some Georgia Republicans believe a Collins defeat by a significant margin could hurt other Republican candidates running statewide.
One strategist warned the Journal that a loss of more than six points could have consequences further down the ticket.
That is particularly concerning because Georgia’s 2026 elections include a competitive governor’s race and other statewide contests.
One Georgia Republican strategist, Jordan Fuchs, told the Journal that Collins was ‘really having difficulty breaking through’ amid his fundraising problems and controversies.
Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections also told the Journal there is ‘a general concern that Collins isn’t the right candidate or running the right campaign to defeat Ossoff.’
Collins ultimately won the Republican nomination after a competitive primary and runoff, with President Donald Trump’s backing.
Trump’s support gave Collins a powerful boost inside the GOP and helped him secure the nomination.
But it hasn’t translated into a dominant general-election campaign.
Instead, Ossoff has increasingly used the race to build a national profile of his own, positioning himself as one of the Democrats’ most prominent opponents of Trump.
Collins is set to speak at Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas, an event designed to help craft Republican messaging and rally the faithful amid a daunting political environment.
The Daily Mail reached out to the Collins campaign for comment.
