Georgia Representative Mike Collins took the stage at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday night with a strong message: "Democrats failed Laken Riley."
Collins, who authored the Laken Riley Act following the murder of the 22-year-old nursing student
on the University of Georgia campus by an undocumented immigrant in 2024, is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia against incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.Collins has been endorsed by President Trump, but has had to navigate multiple controversies and ties to white nationalist figures as Ossoff has maintained a strong lead in statewide polling. Trump's approval in Georgia has also declined throughout his second term, and messages like 2020 election fraud peddled by Trump and Collins hasn't
appealed to voters the same way it did two years ago.
But, Collins' race remains of national importance to Republicans as Ossoff sits as the only Democrat up for reelection in the Senate in a state that Trump won in 2024.
That's why on Wednesday, Collins spent much of his time on stage attacking Ossoff and doubling down on his pro-Trump message.
Collins falsely accuses Ossoff of not supporting Laken Riley Act
During his roughly five minute-long remarks, Collins said he went to Ossoff's office following the death of Riley and asked for his help, which Collins says the senator refused. Multiple times during his campaign, Collins has stated that Ossoff didn't support the Laken Riley Act, including voting against its passage.
"When Laken was killed, I made it my mission in Congress to ensure that no other family would have to live through their pain. And yes, I went door-to-door sitting in the offices of Democrats and anyone who would listen to me to tell them why this one bill, the Laken Riley Act, would make sure that this would never happen again," Collins said. "I sat in Jon Ossoff's office and demanded that he help America remember the name of our shared constituent. But no, he wouldn't lift a finger to help me."
But Ossoff did support the bill. According to USA TODAY's reporting partner Reuters, Ossoff opposed a procedural motion from a spending bill but ultimately did vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act. He was one of twelve Democrats who crossed party lines and supported the immigration legislation. Rev. Raphael Warnock, Georgia's other Democratic Senator, also voted in favor of the act.
"Because of our work, over 20,000 criminal illegal aliens are off our streets, behind bars or back where they came from," Collins said in his speech.
He went on to say Americans should have leaders that don't "cower to the woke mob" or view Georgia as a "stepping stone" toward higher office, likely referencing rumors and polls showing Ossoff as a possible 2028 presidential candidate (Ossoff has repeatedly denied running for president in 2028).
Collins again also tied Ossoff to the Democratic Socialist of America, and other far-left figures like Hasan Piker and Bernie Sanders. Collins noted a DSA office had been opened in Atlanta, and said Ossoff is "too scared" to stand up to the left-wing branch of the Democratic Party.
"Jon Ossoff's not a man who cares about Georgia. He's voted at every opportunity to make our lives less safe, more expensive and worse off. He's a man too weak and too vain to stand up for what's right," Collins said.
'We are delighted,' Ossoff says
Ossoff, on the other hand, said Collins' remarks in Dallas could only help him.
"The last thing Mike's collapsing campaign needs is more Trump. We are delighted by his foolish trip to Texas, but we still need an answer: Will he testify?" the senator said in a statement.
Ossoff is referencing Collins' ongoing House ethics investigation in which he and his former chief of staff were accused of paying a staffer for a no-show job, thereby misusing congressional and taxpayer resources. Collins has yet to testify to the House for the investigation, and has called the process a "nothing burger."
In a report from the Office of Congressional Conduct, members noted "Collins refused to cooperate." It's unclear what will happen to the investigation come November, as the House would lose jurisdiction over Collins whether he wins the Senate race or loses and is no longer a member of the House.
During a call with press on Aug. 25, Ossoff demanded Collins testify in the ethics case, and said he should be held accountable by the committee and voters for his actions.
"I want to make very clear that these are not my allegations. These are statements of fact from a bipartisan official body of the United States House of Representatives," Ossoff told USA TODAY and other reporters. He demanded "Collins fully cooperate with this investigation," that the representative must testify, and that Collins must explain "to the public and to the press why he has been stonewalling, obstructing and refusing to cooperate with this investigation into his illegal misuse of tax dollars."
Irene Wright covers Georgia politics as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Democrats failed Laken Riley,' Collins says at Republican convention
