Walton County residents are facing a critical question in 2026 — who will fight for them in Washington at one of the most consequential moments in their community's recent history?
Representative Mike Collins, who currently represents Georgia's 10th Congressional District covering Walton County and a large portion of central and eastern Georgia, announced in July 2025 that he is leaving his House seat to run for the United States Senate. His target is Democratic incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Collins launched his Senate campaign saying "This is Georgia's moment. This is the people's time to take back control of this Senate seat." But while Collins is focused on his Senate ambitions Walton County residents are left wondering who is minding the store back home — especially with the Social Circle ICE detention center crisis unfolding right in their backyard.
Collins Still Has A Job To Do Right Now
Here is something every Walton County resident needs to understand — Collins is still your congressman today. He has not left office yet. He is still drawing a congressional salary, still representing the 10th District, and still holds the most direct line of communication to the Department of Homeland Security of any Georgia elected official regarding the Social Circle ICE detention facility.
Collins was the one who informed Social Circle city officials on February 4, 2026 that the Department of Homeland Security was moving to purchase the warehouse at 1365 E. Hightower Trail, according to the City of Social Circle's official statement. He has described himself as the primary point of contact between local government and federal authorities throughout this controversy. Yet Social Circle City Manager Eric Taylor has publicly stated that ICE still will not return his calls, according to reporting by the Covington News. If Collins truly has that direct line to DHS the community deserves to know what he is doing with it.
Before Collins heads fully into campaign mode Walton County residents deserve clear and direct answers to several critical questions. Why did the federal government pay $128,555,500 for a property the Walton County Tax Assessor valued at just $29,786,800 in 2025 — nearly $100 million over assessed value — and what has Collins done to demand an explanation from DHS on behalf of his constituents? According to the Covington News that purchase price was confirmed through real estate documents obtained from the Walton County Superior Court Clerk's office. Has Collins requested a formal congressional inquiry into that overpayment? What specific commitments has he secured from DHS regarding water and sewer infrastructure upgrades for Social Circle? What federal funding has he pursued to help Walton County law enforcement handle the demands of a facility holding up to 10,000 detainees?
Collins is asking Walton County voters to promote him to the United States Senate. Before that conversation goes any further he owes the people of Walton County clear and direct answers. CJ Lester Investigates has reached out to Congressman Collins for comment and will update this story when a response is received.
An Ethics Question Hanging Over Collins
There is another dimension to Collins' tenure that Walton County voters should be aware of as they evaluate his record. According to Atlanta News First, Collins is currently under scrutiny from the House Ethics Committee. A memo released in November 2025 confirmed that the committee extended a previous request to investigate Collins and his chief of staff Brandon Phillips. The memo did not specify the reason for the referral. Collins' team called the referral a baseless attack. CJ Lester Investigates will continue to monitor this development as more information becomes available.
Georgia's Congressional Map Is Shifting
Collins is one of four Georgia Republican House members leaving their seats ahead of the 2026 elections — part of a broader national trend. According to WABE, more than 50 incumbents nationwide have announced departures from the House before the 2026 election cycle, the highest rate since 1992 according to the Brookings Institution.
The other three departing Georgia Republicans are:
Marjorie Taylor Greene who represented the 14th Congressional District in northwest Georgia including Rome. According to NPR, Greene resigned her seat on January 5, 2026 after a falling out with President Trump. A special election to fill her seat is set for March 10 with a runoff likely on April 7 according to WABE.
Barry Loudermilk who represented the 11th Congressional District covering the northern suburbs of Atlanta. According to WABE, Loudermilk announced on February 4 that he was resigning saying "while serving my constituents in Congress ranks among my greatest honors, being a husband, father, and grandfather holds even greater importance." Nearly 10 candidates have already announced runs for his seat with the filing deadline on March 6.
Buddy Carter who represents the 1st Congressional District covering the southeast corner of Georgia including Savannah. According to Wikipedia's 2026 Georgia Senate election page, Carter is running against Collins in the Republican Senate primary both vying to take on Ossoff in November.
Who Is Running To Replace Collins
The race to fill the 10th District seat is already underway with confirmed candidates on both sides of the aisle. The primary election is set for May 19, 2026 with a potential runoff on June 16 and the general election on November 3 according to Ballotpedia.
On the Republican side Houston Gaines, a fourth term Georgia State Representative from Athens representing the 120th District, is the first and most prominent announced candidate. According to 11Alive, Gaines announced his candidacy saying "I'm running for Congress to take the fight to D.C. and help President Trump continue to deliver for the American people." Gaines is vice chair of the Georgia House GOP caucus and of the House Appropriations Committee according to the Georgia Recorder.
On the Democratic side two candidates have announced. Lexy Doherty, an education consultant from Athens who challenged Collins in 2024 losing 63% to 34%, has announced her second run for the seat according to the Georgia Recorder. Pamela DeLancy is also running in the Democratic primary according to Ballotpedia.
The filing deadline has not yet passed and more candidates are expected to enter the race particularly on the Republican side. According to the Georgia Recorder this race is widely expected to become a crowded Republican primary. CJ Lester Investigates will continue to update this candidate list as new announcements are made.
The Question Every Candidate Must Answer
As candidates line up to replace Collins one question should be at the top of every Walton County voter's mind — where do you stand on the Social Circle ICE detention facility and what will you do to ensure our community's concerns are heard in Washington?
Whoever wins the 10th District seat will inherit the relationship with DHS and the responsibility to Walton County at exactly the moment they need strong representation the most. The facility is expected to open as early as April 2026 according to the City of Social Circle's official statement — meaning the next congressman may be walking into an already active crisis on day one.
And while the next congressman matters enormously the current one matters just as much right now. Collins still holds the keys to the DHS relationship today. Walton County residents deserve to know what he is doing with those keys before he walks out the door.
CJ Lester Investigates will be asking every candidate in the 10th District race the tough questions — and we will be asking Collins the same. Stay tuned.
CJ Lester Investigates is an independent journalism outlet covering Newton, Rockdale, and Walton Counties and the State of Georgia. Subscribe for free at cjlesterinvestigates.substack.com
Sources:
Fox 5 Atlanta — Collins Senate campaign announcement and quotes, fox5atlanta.com
City of Social Circle official statement — February 4, 2026 Facebook post, socialcirclega.gov
The Covington News — ICE facility purchase price and infrastructure reporting, covnews.com
Walton County Superior Court Clerk's Office — property deed records confirming $128,555,500 purchase price
Atlanta News First — Collins House Ethics Committee referral, atlantanewsfirst.com
WABE — Georgia congressional departures and Brookings Institution statistic, wabe.org
NPR — Marjorie Taylor Greene resignation, npr.org
Ballotpedia — 10th Congressional District election details and confirmed candidates, ballotpedia.org
11Alive — Houston Gaines candidacy announcement, 11alive.com
Georgia Recorder — Gaines background and Democratic candidate details, georgiarecorder.com
Roll Call — Collins district voting margins and background, rollcall.com
Wikipedia — 2026 Georgia Senate election candidates, wikipedia.org
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