Georgia Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins is asking supporters to help fund his campaign's fuel costs, even as he's repeatedly voted to keep the very war driving diesel prices to record highs going.
Collins, a Georgia congressman and former trucker running to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, features a fundraising pitch on his website leaning heavily on trucking imagery, The Daily Beast reported on Friday.
"PUT SOME DIESEL IN THE TANK!" the page reads.
Despite owning a trucking business himself, Collins' campaign offers no visible plan for actually lowering fuel costs. Fuel prices in Georgia have hit historic territory this year, with diesel climbing past $6 a gallon and coming within a few cents of an all-time state record set just last week, while regular gas has jumped to roughly $4.16 a gallon from under $3 a year earlier.
Collins has voted against six separate war powers resolutions aimed at ending U.S. involvement in Iran, including one just last week, even as fuel costs directly tied to the conflict continue climbing. Asked at a campaign stop Friday whether Republicans, who've held power for nearly two years, bear any responsibility for the high prices, Collins instead pinned the blame on his predecessor.
"The reality is we got here because of those Bidenomics, that debacle that during the Biden administration, which Jon Ossoff fully supported, was what caused these historical inflation on everything, not just gas, but everything," Collins said.
Inflation did spike under Biden coming out of the pandemic, but by the time he left office, both gas and diesel prices had fallen back to roughly half of what they cost by the end of Trump's current term. Collins made the comments standing alongside Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who traveled to Georgia to campaign with him.
Collins joins a growing club of Republican Senate candidates leaning on fuel-themed fundraising pitches this cycle. Maine Sen. Susan Collins recently asked supporters to chip in $5 to help "fuel the tour" during a statewide swing, while Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan sent a fundraising email earlier this year specifically asking for help to "pay for gas" while visiting remote parts of his state.