Georgia Republican Mike Collins kicked off his campaign for the U.S House of Representatives on Thursday—days before he was scheduled to speak at this weekend's Justice for J6 rally—saying that he wants to be part of a party of "true conservative fighters."
"The time for civility and the time for compromise is over," Collins said at a campaign launch event in Jackson, Georgia, on Thursday, according to the Jackson Progress-Argus.
"The time for bipartisanship is over. There is no compromising. The best way to deal with Democrats and all these establishment RINOs (Republican in name only) that we have is to beat them," he added.
At the event, held in a barn packed with more than 200 people, Collins, the owner of a trucking company, said he would stand up to "liberal left-wing wackos, RINOS, elites — and even the Republican establishment," reported Georgia Public Broadcasting. He said that if Republicans took control of the House, he wouldn't vote in favor of making House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy the Speaker of the congressional chamber.
"And if by some odd chance he becomes Speaker and he doesn't want to give me a committee assignment, then I'm fine with that," he said, according to GPB.
"I'll make a great teammate for Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene."
Collins is competing in a packed Republican primary race for the seat in Georgia's 10th Congressional District. The seat is open as its current occupant, Rep. Jody Hice, is challenging Georgia GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
In a campaign video he released in August, Collins described himself as a "conservative, pro-life, pro-gun, pro-Trump, God-fearing, truck-driving outsider."
"I was pro-Trump from day one," Collins says in the video. "If you want another slick politician making backroom deals in Congress, then I'm not your guy."
Ahead of his speech at the "Justice for J6" rally, an event held Saturday in support of the January 6 Capitol rioters, Collins told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was attending the demonstration to defend not the rioters, but the Constitution.
"These people deserve their day in court; everybody deserves their day in court," he said. "And I'm going up there to say to these people need their day in court, and it's time for it to happen."
Organizers of the rally argue that the rioters were expressing their First Amendment rights and shouldn't be held in prison. They have also said they are working to discourage any violent outbursts during the demonstration.
In response to a request for comment, Collins' campaign sent Newsweek an excerpt from the candidate's speech at the rally. In his speech, Collins said he that he strongly condemns "political violence in any form."
"Especially the violence perpetrated on January 6th or any who may commit acts of violence today," he said.
He added that the "current administration would like you to believe that the current detainees are being treated just as equally as protestors from the left, and that's just not true."
"We have political prisoners," Collins said. "And the media, the left's biggest ally, want you to believe that it's just a conspiracy theory, but the facts are clear. Non-violent, misdemeanor offenders are currently being held without bond, without access to lawyers and sometimes in solitary confinement with some not slated to see trial until next year."
Updated 09/18/2021, 6:00 p.m. ET, with an excerpt of Collins' speech at the Justice for J6 Rally.
