LEESBURG, Ga. (WALB) — Republican U.S. Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Mike Collins spoke with a group of supporters Thursday, Oct. 29, at J and E Country restaurant in Leesburg.

With election day less than a week away, candidates from across the state are on the campaign trail.

Collins spoke on several issues, including diesel prices affecting many farmers across south Georgia.

“You know, and I told the White House this months ago, we need to run that off-road diesel and everything you got. There’s no difference in off-road diesel and on-road diesel, except for the off-road diesel is just dyed so that the IRS can identify it. But when you bring the supply up, the price always goes down. And that’s an immediate effect right there,” Collins said.

Collins also spoke on data centers, supporting local control of approval.

“I’m a firm believer in as much local control as you can get. And this is the way I look at it - if you need help and you want a data center, I don’t mind helping you. You fight it, I don’t mind helping you fight it,” he said. “Because the local people should have local control over whatever’s happening in their community, especially from an infrastructure impact.”

The U.S. Rep. also shared his plans for lowering the cost of living.

“Making life more affordable has always been one of the key reasons I went to D.C.,” he said. “We’ve got to continue to make sure that taxes stay low, that these regulations are off these small businesses’ backs, that we become energy independent.”

Collins is expected to host a rally at Sunset Hills Country Club in Carrollton, Ga.

This comes after former President Barack Obama was the keynote speaker at an election event in Clayton County to rally voters for U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’s campaign and other Democratic candidates on Georgia’s ballot.

Vice President Kamala Harris is also expected to speak in Macon before joining Ossoff for a voter mobilization event in Atlanta.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. For more south Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.