Mac Collins
Encyclopedia
Michael Allen "Mac" Collins (born October 15, 1944), American
politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives
from 1993 to 2005, representing the (previously from 1993 to 2003). He was an unsuccessful candidate for Senate in 2006.
He was born in Jackson
, and joined a concrete products business run by his father after graduating from high school, expanding it into a ready-mix concrete
company two years later, he enlisted in the Georgia National Guard
but to his regret did not see combat during the Vietnam War
. He later began a trucking company that is now run by his sons.
Commission. He was immediately elected chairman by his colleagues and served two terms, giving up his seat in 1980 when he switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican. After losing two elections for Georgia State Senate
, he was elected in 1988 from a district in Henry County
south of Atlanta and served two terms there.
he was a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Deputy Whip for the Republican Party, and was selected by the Speaker of the House to serve on the highly classified
United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
.
Collins was an advocate for tax reform
, defense issues, veterans rights and prisoner-of-war families. He lost his role as Deputy Whip of the United States House of Representatives after the September 11 attacks in 2001 when he informed President George W. Bush
that he would not support the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
, dismantled his old 6th District. The new map shifted much of Gingrich's former territory south of Atlanta—including Collins' home—to the 3rd District, which at the time was based in Columbus
and represented by five-term Democrat Richard Ray
.
Collins immediately jumped into the race. He defeated Paul Broun
(who would later be elected to Congress from the 10th District) in the Republican primary and then defeated Ray in the general election by almost 10 points. Collins was reelected with 65 percent of the vote in 1994 and four more times after that with virtually no difficulty, even running unopposed in 1998.
seat left vacant by the retirement of Democratic Senator Zell Miller
, which went to Johnny Isakson
. In order to participate in this race, Collins declined to run for re-election to the House. Collins' seat was filled by state House minority leader Lynn Westmoreland
.
. Marshall's redrawn district includes none of the territory Collins represented in his first five terms, but three counties that he represented in his last term. It made for one of the most competitive House races in the nation. Collins lost again, by only 1,100 votes.
, a fellow Republican in the redrawn 10th Congressional District, according to a report in the Athens Banner-Herald. The two have faced each other before: Collins defeated Broun with about 55 percent of the vote in a 1992 primary.
of the University of Rochester
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1993 to 2005, representing the (previously from 1993 to 2003). He was an unsuccessful candidate for Senate in 2006.
He was born in Jackson
Jackson, Georgia
Jackson is a city in Butts County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Butts County. The center of population of Georgia is located in Jackson. The community was named after President Andrew Jackson. Founded in 1826, Jackson began as...
, and joined a concrete products business run by his father after graduating from high school, expanding it into a ready-mix concrete
Ready-mix concrete
Ready-mix concrete is a type of concrete that is manufactured in a factory or batching plant, according to a set recipe, and then delivered to a work site, by truck mounted transit mixers . This results in a precise mixture, allowing specialty concrete mixtures to be developed and implemented on...
company two years later, he enlisted in the Georgia National Guard
Georgia National Guard
The Georgia National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S state of Georgia consists of the Georgia Army National Guard and the Georgia Air National Guard...
but to his regret did not see combat during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He later began a trucking company that is now run by his sons.
Georgia politics and State Senator
He began his political career in 1977, when he was elected to the Butts CountyButts County, Georgia
Butts County is a county located in the northern half of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 24, 1825. As of 2000, the population was 19,522. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 23,759...
Commission. He was immediately elected chairman by his colleagues and served two terms, giving up his seat in 1980 when he switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican. After losing two elections for Georgia State Senate
Georgia Senate
The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly .-Composition:According to the state constitution of 1983, this body is to be composed of no more than 56 members elected for two-year terms. Current state law provides for 56 members...
, he was elected in 1988 from a district in Henry County
Henry County, Georgia
Henry County is a growing suburban county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 119,341. As of 2010, the county's population swelled to 203,922, up 70.9% from the previous census and becoming Georgia's 8th most populous county and the 10th fastest growing...
south of Atlanta and served two terms there.
United States Congress
In the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
he was a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Deputy Whip for the Republican Party, and was selected by the Speaker of the House to serve on the highly classified
Classified
Classified may refer to:*Classified information, sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular classes of people*Classified advertising*Classified , rapper from Halifax, Nova Scotia...
United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Mike Rogers. It is the primary committee in the U.S...
.
Collins was an advocate for tax reform
Tax reform
Tax reform is the process of changing the way taxes are collected or managed by the government.Tax reformers have different goals. Some seek to reduce the level of taxation of all people by the government. Some seek to make the tax system more progressive or less progressive. Some seek to simplify...
, defense issues, veterans rights and prisoner-of-war families. He lost his role as Deputy Whip of the United States House of Representatives after the September 11 attacks in 2001 when he informed President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
that he would not support the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
1992 campaign for United States House of Representative
During the 1990s round of redistricting, Democrats in the Georgia state legislature, bent on getting rid of Newt GingrichNewt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
, dismantled his old 6th District. The new map shifted much of Gingrich's former territory south of Atlanta—including Collins' home—to the 3rd District, which at the time was based in Columbus
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
and represented by five-term Democrat Richard Ray
Richard Ray
Richard Belmont Ray was an American politician from Georgia.Ray was born in Fort Valley, Georgia, and graduated from Crawford County High School in Roberta, Georgia, in 1944. He then served in the United States Navy during World War II, from 1944 to 1946...
.
Collins immediately jumped into the race. He defeated Paul Broun
Paul Broun
Paul Collins Broun, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education and career:...
(who would later be elected to Congress from the 10th District) in the Republican primary and then defeated Ray in the general election by almost 10 points. Collins was reelected with 65 percent of the vote in 1994 and four more times after that with virtually no difficulty, even running unopposed in 1998.
2004 United States Senate campaign
In 2004, Collins was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the Georgia SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat left vacant by the retirement of Democratic Senator Zell Miller
Zell Miller
Zell Bryan Miller is an American politician from the US state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as United States Senator from 2000 to 2005....
, which went to Johnny Isakson
Johnny Isakson
John Hardy "Johnny" Isakson is the junior United States Senator from Georgia and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he represented in the House....
. In order to participate in this race, Collins declined to run for re-election to the House. Collins' seat was filled by state House minority leader Lynn Westmoreland
Lynn Westmoreland
Lynn A. Westmoreland is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from the far southern Atlanta suburbs to the suburbs of Columbus...
.
2006 campaign for United States House of Representative
In 2006, Collins moved back to Butts County and made an attempt to return to Congress against Democrat Jim MarshallJim Marshall (U.S. politician)
James Creel "Jim" Marshall is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
. Marshall's redrawn district includes none of the territory Collins represented in his first five terms, but three counties that he represented in his last term. It made for one of the most competitive House races in the nation. Collins lost again, by only 1,100 votes.
Possible 2012 campaign for United States House of Representative
Collins is reportedly considering another run for Congress. Collins has stated that he is likely to challenge U.S. Rep. Paul BrounPaul Broun
Paul Collins Broun, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party and the Tea Party Caucus.-Early life, education and career:...
, a fellow Republican in the redrawn 10th Congressional District, according to a report in the Athens Banner-Herald. The two have faced each other before: Collins defeated Broun with about 55 percent of the vote in a 1992 primary.
Congress at the Grassroots
Collins is featured in Congress at the Grassroots, a non-fiction account of representational change in the south authored by political science Professor Richard FennoRichard Fenno
Richard F. Fenno, Jr. is an American political scientist known for his pioneering work on the U.S. Congress and its members....
of the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
.