President Donald Trump's chosen Senate candidate is losing ground in his own backyard, as multiple Republican mayors across Georgia publicly back Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff over Trump-endorsed challenger Mike Collins.
At least three GOP mayors — Gail Fry of Toccoa, James Matheson of Valdosta, and Julie Smith of Tifton — have thrown their support behind Ossoff, according to The Daily Beast. Fry, who admits she voted against Ossoff six years ago, says his responsiveness has completely changed her mind, pointing to an $8.4 million federal grant he secured for natural gas infrastructure in her small northeast Georgia city.
"We have gotten more support from Sen. Ossoff than any other office that we've contacted," Fry said.
Smith echoed that sentiment in an earlier interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, describing Ossoff as unusually attentive for a Democrat representing a Republican mayor.
"I don't have to track him down. He tracks me down," Smith said.
Matheson, who calls himself a "hard-core conservative," acknowledged the political risk of crossing party lines but said the relationship mattered more than backlash.
"I will take heat for this endorsement, and it doesn't matter," Matheson said. "There's no way I can turn my back on this relationship."
The defections land as a real blow to Trump, who's repeatedly championed Collins while hurling juvenile insults at Ossoff, including comparing his appearance to Pee-wee Herman and mocking his name as "Os(jerk!)off" on Truth Social. In June, Trump declared Collins backed by Georgia's "most Highly Respected MAGA Patriots" and predicted an easy win.
Collins has faced controversy ever since getting the nomination, with multiple reports of his staffers and close allies engaged in overtly racist behavior. One of his former staffers even posted a swastika and images of himself wearing a Klan robe.