Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), a candidate for the U.S. Senate, dismissed a campaign staffer on Friday after an inflammatory social media post targeting an adviser to a political action committee backing his primary opponent, Derek Dooley. The post, published on the campaign's X account, made a crude reference to the adviser's wife and her previous accusations of sexual assault against former Today show anchor Matt Lauer.
The now-deleted post was a reply to an X poll showing Collins leading Dooley by five points ahead of next month's Republican Senate runoff. The post read, “Matt [Lauer's] sloppy seconds chiming into take an L,” directed at GOP consultant Luke Thompson, who had shared the poll.
Thompson's wife, Brooke Nevils, was one of several women who accused Lauer of sexual assault. Nevils later attempted suicide, according to a report from investigative journalist Ronan Farrow's book Catch and Kill.
Collins condemned the post as “despicable and unauthorized” and said it was made without his knowledge or approval. In a statement on X, he wrote: “I want to apologize for this offensive tweet. I have made staffing changes to ensure this type of behavior never happens again.” The campaign did not name the fired staffer.
Thompson responded sharply, posting a screenshot of the reply and writing: “Collins surrounds himself with unprofessional and incompetent cretins. This is not a team capable of holding its own against the Ossoff war chest. Just a deeply stupid group of low grade operators.” He was referring to Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who will face the Republican nominee in the general election.
The runoff between Collins and Dooley, who has the endorsement of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, was triggered after Tuesday's five-way Republican primary. The contest has become a proxy fight between Kemp and former President Donald Trump, as Collins and Dooley advance to the runoff.
Collins's campaign has been under scrutiny for its handling of internal discipline. The firing comes amid a broader pattern of campaign staff controversies in Georgia politics, where Trump's primary purge has sometimes backfired against his endorsed candidates.
Collins's campaign did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill. The incident underscores the high stakes of the Georgia Senate race, which is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country.
