EXCLUSIVE: Georgia Rep. Mike Collins Busted Padding Website With Fake Endorsements

Georgia Republican Senate candidate Rep. Mike Collins is under fire from local officials for inaccurately listing some high-profile endorsements, the Daily Caller has learned.

Several Georgia sheriffs, commissioners, and local representatives have appeared on both Collins’ and Republican candidate Derek Dooley’s endorsement lists. Some of these discrepancies seem to be a simple change of heart, while some officials suggested the Collins campaign was intentionally inflating its roster of endorsements.

Wayne County Sheriff Chuck Moseley told the Caller that he asked the Collins campaign on two separate occasions to remove his endorsement from the website, but as of this writing, he has not yet been taken off the list.

“I’ve already talked to them twice. They’ve had their opportunity to correct it, and they hadn’t,” Moseley told the Caller.

Moseley told the Caller that he originally supported Republican Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter, who was his congressional representative, and has since put his support behind GOP candidate Derek Dooley. (RELATED: GOP Senate Candidate’s Team Mocks Alleged Matt Lauer Rape Victim As ‘Sloppy Seconds’)

“I wouldn’t vote for [Collins] if he’s the only one running,” Moseley said.

In a separate instance, GOP Grady County Chair Jeff Jolly told the Caller he was at a campaign event with Dooley and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp when he approached Grady County Sheriff Earl Prince and Grady County Commissioner Sam Kines about their endorsements of Collins, only to find out neither had actually endorsed him.

“I talked to each of them in private, and I said, ‘Look, you do what you want to do, but for my own sake, I need to know why you endorsed Mike Collins,’” Jolly told the Caller. “Both of them looked at me funny, like, ‘What are you talking about?’ They didn’t know anything about it.”

Kines told the Caller that Collins’ campaign reached out to him over text earlier in the year inviting him to a campaign event, which he responded to with a “generic reply.” Beyond this interaction, Kines said he had never formally endorsed Collins despite being posted on his campaign account as a confirmed endorser in March.

“It’s just a generic reply, trying to be cordial, and I didn’t think nothing else about it,” Kines told the Caller.

“I was very surprised that it was publicly saying that I was endorsing Collins,” Kines added.

As of May, Kines was listed as a supporter on Dooley’s campaign account on X. Kines also confirmed to the Caller that he has one of Dooley’s campaign signs in his yard, saying, “He’s the leading one that I would vote for.”

Kines was posted on Collins’ campaign account as a confirmed endorser in March, but as of May, he has been listed as a supporter of Dooley on his campaign account on X.

Prince flat-out denied ever speaking to Collins or anyone on his campaign, despite previously being listed as an endorser on the campaign website. A social media post from Collins’ campaign account touting Prince’s endorsement is also still live on his page.

“I have never spoken to Mike Collins or any of his people,” Prince told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). “My name was used without my permission, and I have no use for anybody that does business that way.”

Worth County Sheriff Don Whitaker was also previously listed as an endorsement on Collins’ campaign website despite having endorsed his opponent. (RELATED: GOP Senate Frontrunner’s Top Aide May Have Illegally Abused Resources, Given Special Favors, Ethics Watchdog Says)

“I have no problems with them, but I believe it was a miscommunication,” Whitaker told the AJC. “I’ve spoken with one of his campaign team about this, and my name was to be taken off his endorsement list. Obviously, it wasn’t. I am endorsing Derek Dooley.”

A number of other officials who were previously touted as supporters of the Collins campaign were later listed as endorsers of Dooley’s candidacy.

Collins’ campaign posted a graphic in October claiming Franklin County Sheriff Scott Andrews endorsed him. At the time of this writing, Andrews is also still listed as an endorser on Collins’ campaign website. Months later, in May, Dooley’s campaign posted its own series of graphics on X touting Andrews’ endorsement. In the same May post from Dooley’s campaign account, Rabun County Commissioner Kent Woerner is also listed as a supporter despite Collins’ campaign also claiming to have earned the commissioner’s support in March.

JACKSON, GEORGIA – MAY 19: Campaign signs for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Collins are seen outside a primary night event on May 19, 2026 in Jackson, Georgia. Positions on the ballot in Georgia also include state governor, secretary of state and attorney general. (Photo by Jason Allen/Getty Images)

Two Georgia state representatives have also found themselves in the same situation, with lawmakers Jutt Howard and Chris Erwin being touted by the Collins campaign as endorsers in July and August, respectively. In a series of social media posts from May of this year, Dooley has thanked both Howard and Erwin for endorsing his candidacy.

Howard confirmed to the Caller that he had initially supported Collins but later changed his mind and endorsed Dooley. He did not comment on why his endorsement changed. (RELATED: GOP Swing State Justices Sweep In Rare Midterm Setback For Democrats)

When reached for comment, a Collins campaign official referred the Caller to three Georgia residents who were listed in a Dooley campaign email as “grassroots” endorsements. The official claimed Rina Thomas, David Kelly, and Clint Britton were incorrectly listed as supporting Dooley.

The Caller contacted Kelly with the phone number provided by the official, but Kelly confirmed that he had both endorsed and even door-knocked for Dooley’s campaign.

Thomas told the Caller she was inaccurately listed as an endorsement on Dooley’s campaign, saying she had to remain neutral as the Elbert County Republican Party Chair. The Caller reached out to Britton by phone but has not heard back.

“After spending months calling through Mike’s nearly 1,000 endorsements, Derek Dooley’s C-rate campaign team finally convinced a couple of recruits to flip— which is fitting, since that was about the same conversion rate Derek had as a football coach,” a Collins campaign spokesman told the Caller.