He finished in third place in the state's nonpartisan blanket primary, behind Democrat Raphael Warnock and incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler, failing to make it to the top-two runoff election.

[2] On November 14, 2024, President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Collins as the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

[4] He attended North Georgia College & State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and criminal law in 1988.

[6] From 1994 to 2005, Collins was a senior pastor at Chicopee Baptist Church while co-owning a retail scrapbooking store with his wife, Lisa.

After the September 11 attacks, Collins joined the United States Air Force Reserve Command, where he presently serves as a chaplain (Colonel).

[16] Collins argued that the program would be insolvent without the cut, saying that "If you look at it at the end of the day, Georgia still leads the way in providing hope—educational hope—for those wanting to go on to post-secondary education.

[23] In 2012, Collins signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming-related legislation that would raise taxes.

[24] Collins supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.

He stated that "The executive order allows re-entry to lawful permanent residents and does not represent a comprehensive ban on entry to people from certain countries.

Collins faced local media personality Martha Zoller and retired principal Roger Fitzpatrick in the Republican primary.

He ran in the special election held in November 2020 to complete the final two years of the term of retiring senator Johnny Isakson, who stepped down on December 31, 2019, citing health issues.

Collins faced incumbent senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican appointed by Georgia governor Brian Kemp to fill the seat until a special election was held.

[40] In November 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he intended to nominate Collins to serve as the next United States secretary of veterans affairs.

[45] On February 6, a total of 26 Democratic Senators signed an open letter sent to Collins asking the VA secretary to stop providing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with access to confidential Veteran records.

[51][52] Among the two major Republican contenders for the 2020–21 United States Senate special election in Georgia, Kelly Loeffler and Collins tried to distinguish themselves by claiming to be the most "pro-Trump.

[54] In December 2020, Collins was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Trump.

[55] The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.

If we carry anything away today it must be that we increase our vigilance against foreign election interference while we ensure our government officials don't weaponize their power against the constitutional rights guaranteed to every US citizen.

"[62] Individuals called to testify in impeachment hearings suggested that Trump held up delivery of Congressionally legislated aid to Ukraine in order to pressure its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, into investigating Joe Biden.

[70] As a congressman, Collins voted three times[71][72][73] against allowing VA doctors to prescribe cannabis to Veterans in direct opposition to VSOs such as the DAV.

[78] Collins has written letters in defense of military chaplain Wes Modder, whom the Navy attempted to fire after he had allegedly berated students at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (where he was posted) who had gone to him for counseling.

She is a retired fifth grade teacher at Mount Vernon Elementary School in Gainesville, Georgia, where the couple resides with their three children, Jordan, Copelan, and Cameron, one of whom has spina bifida.