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Doug Collins (politician)

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Doug Collins
Official portrait, 2015
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Nominee
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentDonald Trump
SucceedingDenis McDonough
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 9th district
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byTom Graves (redistricting)
Succeeded byAndrew Clyde
Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee
In office
January 3, 2019 – March 12, 2020
Preceded byJerry Nadler
Succeeded byJim Jordan
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 27th district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byStacey Reece
Succeeded byLee Hawkins
Personal details
Born
Douglas Allen Collins

(1966-08-16) August 16, 1966 (age 58)
Gainesville, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Lisa Jordan
​
(m. 1988)​
Children3
EducationUniversity of North Georgia (BA)
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv)
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School (JD)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
United States Air Force Reserve
Years of service2002–present
RankColonel
Unit94th Airlift Wing
Chaplain Corps
Battles/warsIraq War
Doug Collins's voice
Doug Collins speaks in support of H.R.5626, the Intercountry Adoption Information Act of 2018
Recorded July 10, 2018

Douglas Allen Collins (born August 16, 1966) is an American Republican lawyer and politician. He was the United States Representative from Georgia's 9th congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Before, he was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013. Collins was also a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve with the rank of colonel.

In 2020, he announced his candidacy for the United States Senate, running against incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler.[1] He came in last place, losing to both Loeffler and to Democrat Raphael Warnock.

After his Senate campaign loss, he left politics and became a legal counsel for Donald Trump during his post-presidency.[2] In November 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Collins to serve as his United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Early life

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Collins was born in Gainesville, Georgia.[3] He studied at North Georgia College & State University. He later studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Collins also earned his Juris Doctor from Atlanta's John Marshall Law School in 2007.[4]

In the late 1980s, Collins served two years in the United States Navy as a navy chaplain. After the September 11 attacks, Collins joined the United States Air Force Reserve Command, where he was a chaplain (lieutenant colonel).[5] He also served for five months in 2008 during the Iraq War.[6]

From 1994 to 2005, Collins was a senior pastor at Chicopee Baptist Church.[7][8] He also worked as a lawyer.[9]

Georgia House of Representatives

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Collins served three terms in the Georgia House of Representatives, representing Georgia's 27th district from 2007 to 2013.[10] No one ran against him for reelection in 2008 and 2010.[11][12]

In 2011, Collins sponsored a plan proposed by Georgia governor Nathan Deal to reform Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program.[13] In 2012, he supported fixing Georgia's constitution to create a statewide commission expanding charter schools.[14][15]

During his time in the state legislator, he was in favor of the death penalty,[16] against physician-assisted suicide[17] and abortion.[18] He was also against laws that were meant to help fight against climate change.[19]

U.S. House of Representatives

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In 2012, Collins ran for Congress in the 9th congressional district. He finished first in the primary with 42 percent of the total. He later won the run-off primary with 55 percent of the vote.[20][21] In the general election, Collins beat Democrat Jody Cooley 76 percent to 24 percent.[22][23] No one ran against him in 2016 for re-election and in 2018 he beat Democratic Josh McCall.[24]

Collins called himself a "[strong] Trump ally."[25] He strongly defended President Donald Trump during his impeachment inquiry over the Trump-Ukraine scandal.[26]

In December 2020, Collins was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which former Vice President Joe Biden beat Trump.[27]

Collins was against Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He called it an "experiment [that] has continued to fail America". Collins said the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 would not cause anyone losing health coverage.[28]

2020 U.S. Senate election

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In January 2020, Collins announced his candidacy for the United States Senate. He ran in the special election held in November 2020 to finish the final two years of the term of retiring senator Johnny Isakson. He ran against incumbent senator Kelly Loeffler.[29] President Donald Trump had supported Collins as a replacement for Isakson.[30] Several senior Republican senators, such as Mitch McConnell, supported Loeffler over Collins.[31]

Collins finished third in the primary, losing to Loeffler and Democratic pastor Raphael Warnock, who would go on to beat Loeffler in the general election. When Collins and Donald Trump lost their races in Georgia, they both made claims about fraud in the Georgia elections.[32] Georgia's Republican secretary of state Brad Raffensperger called Collins a "liar" for his statements.[33]

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs

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On November 24, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his plans to nominate Collins to serve as the next United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs during his second administration.[34]

Personal life

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Collins married Lisa Jordan, in 1988. She is a retired fifth grade teacher. The couple have three children.[35] Collins is a practicing Southern Baptist.[36][37][38]

References

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  1. ↑ Arkin, James; Zanona, Melanie (January 28, 2020). "GOP establishment prepares to battle Doug Collins". Politico. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Top DOJ official drafted resignation email amid Trump election pressure". Politico. August 4, 2021. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  3. ↑ Malloy, Daniel (January 3, 2013). "Collins sworn in as Georgia's new member of Congress". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Doug Collins (R-Ga.) U.S. Representative, Georgia, District 9 (Since 2013)". washingtonpost.com. March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016.
  5. ↑ Huang, Cindy; Rolfes, Ellen (November 12, 2012). "Meet the Incoming Congressional Class Veterans". PBS NewsHour. Archived from the original on January 18, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ Blackwood, Harris (May 10, 2008). "Rep. Doug Collins, called to serve in Iraq, will run for re-election". gainesvilletimes.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Georgia, 9th House District Doug Collins (R)". nationaljournal.com. March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Doug Collins – Candidate for the 9th Congressional District". athensgop.com. November 2, 2011. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013.
  9. ↑ "The Hill's 2012 New Members Guide". thehill.com. November 13, 2012. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  10. ↑ "GA State House 027- R Primary". ourcampaigns.com. July 27, 2006. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  11. ↑ "GA State House 027". ourcampaigns.com. November 6, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  12. ↑ "GA State House 027". ourcampaigns.com. November 7, 2010. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  13. ↑ Galloway, Jim (February 26, 2011). "The HOPE scholarship and a Democratic policy of engagement". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013.
  14. ↑ "HB 797 – Establishes a State Charter School Commission – Key Vote". votesmart.org. March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  15. ↑ Rich, Motoko (November 5, 2012). "Georgia's Voters Will Decide on Future of Charter Schools". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  16. ↑ "HCS HB 185 – Death Penalty Rules – Key Vote". votesmart.org. March 20, 2012. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  17. ↑ "HB 1114 – Prohibits Assisted Suicide – Key Vote". votesmart.org. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on July 22, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  18. ↑ "HCS HB 147 – Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Requirement – Key Vote". votesmart.org. March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
  19. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ↑ "Our Campaigns – GA District 09 – R Runoff Race – August 21, 2012". ourcampaigns.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  21. ↑ Stephens, David. "Doug Collins Wins Republican Run-Off for Georgia's 9th Congressional District". 103.5 WSGC. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Our Campaigns – GA District 09 Race – Nov 06, 2012". ourcampaigns.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  23. ↑ Bynum, Ross. "Doug Collins defeats opponent in Georgia race for U.S. House seat". The Independent Mail (Anderson, SC). Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  24. ↑ Galarza, Carlos (April 10, 2017). "Teacher announces Democratic run for 9th District congressional race". The Gainesville Times. Retrieved April 13, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  25. ↑ "Trump who? Senate GOP candidates in tight races avoid any mention of the president in campaign ads". The Washington Post. 2020. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  26. ↑ Holland, Jonathan Landay, Steve (February 21, 2020). "Trump's acting intelligence chief Grenell says won't be tapped for permanent post". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  28. ↑ Silavent, Joshua. "ACA health insurance enrollment exceeds forecasts in nation, state". Gainesville Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  29. ↑ Arkin, James (January 29, 2020). "Collins launches Georgia Senate bid, setting up GOP clash". Politico. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  30. ↑ Booker, Brakkton (December 4, 2019). "Against Trump's Wishes, Georgia Gov. Appoints Kelly Loeffler To Fill Senate Seat". NPR. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  31. ↑ Arkin, James; Zanona, Melanie (January 28, 2020). "GOP establishment prepares to battle Doug Collins". Politico. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  32. ↑ Judd, Alan; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta. "Georgia's recount integrity faces attack". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Georgia's secretary of state says fellow Republicans are pressuring him to find ways to exclude legal ballots". The Washington Post. 2020. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Trump picks ex-congressman Doug Collins for veterans affairs secretary". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  35. ↑ Project Vote Smart (March 13, 2013). "Representative Douglas 'Doug' A. Collins's Biography". votesmart.org. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  36. ↑ Reiner, Anne (November 12, 2012). "Southern Baptist contingent in Congress grows". The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  37. ↑ Blackwood, Harris (February 18, 2007). "New kids on the block Every day is a learning process, but Hall's new legislators are settling into their positions". gainesvilletimes.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  38. ↑ Religious affiliation of members of 115th Congress (PDF) (Report). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2023.

Other websites

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