Axios: “Georgia cannot send a man to Washington to represent all of the people of Georgia who will not disclaim the allegations that he is a white nationalist sympathizer” 

Atlanta, Ga. — Yesterday, a group of Black pastors gathered outside of Big Bethel AME Church in the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood to condemn GOP U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins and demand he answer for his extensive ties to white nationalism. 

The pastors outlined the recent controversies surrounding Collins’ ties to white nationalism and bigotry, including recent reporting that revealed that Collins’ office worked with white nationalists – including Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer – to try to free a Holocaust denier from jail. Collins is also facing scrutiny for propping up neo-Nazi propagandist David Alan Scheer, whose close ties to the congressman include being “featured in campaign photos, registered to vote at a Collins-owned property” and “appearing at his victory party” in addition to Collins’ antisemitic harassment of a Jewish reporter, and his praise for a young man who harassed a Black woman by making monkey sounds.

See more below on what Georgians are reading and watching after Black pastors condemned Mike Collins for his ties to white nationalism:  

WXIA: Pastors Demand Accountability from Mike Collins

• [WXIA] Less than 100 days until the midterm election, a group of local Black pastors is calling on Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins to publicly apologize over what they describe as ties to white supremacy. […] 
  
• [WXIA] […] The group of pastors says enough is enough, and they’re demanding that Collins clarifies his stance on white nationalism. 
  
• [REV. GERALD DURELY] Mr. Mike Collins, who are you? Who do you represent? 
  
• [WXIA] These Atlanta pastors are calling for accountability from Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins. 
  
• [REV. GERALD DURELY] Georgia cannot send a man to Washington to represent all of the people of Georgia who will not disclaim the allegations that he is a white nationalist sympathizer. […] 
  
• [WXIA] […] During a press conference in Monroe County last week, Collins refused to directly answer reporters’ questions about the CNN report. 
  
• [REV. TIMOTHY MCDONALD] He has dodged, he even canceled the press conference that he called because there were questions asked about white supremacists.

ANF: Atlanta Black Faith Leaders Press Rep. Collins for Answers

• [ANF]  […] On the steps of Big Bethel AME Church today, those Black faith leaders said voters need to know where Congressman Collins stands on this issue before they go to the polls in November. […] 
  
• [REV. TIMOTHY MCDONALD]  […] We have seen his true colors. 
  
• [REV. GERALD DURELY] Who are you? Who do you represent? 
  
• [ANF] On Monday, Black faith leaders from Atlanta gathered outside the historic Big Bethel AME Church in Sweet Auburn.
  
• [REV. GERALD DURELY] Speak to the voters about what you represent! 
  
• [ANF] Their anger is coming days after Georgia Congressman Mike Collins, the GOP nominee for US Senate, declined to directly address online videos posted by his son-in-law, David Alan Scheer, in which Scheer echoes messages widely condemned as white nationalist and antisemitic. 
  
• [ANF] When I asked Collins last week whether he’d like to denounce the content in those videos, he didn’t, at least not directly. 

WAGA: Black Pastors Call on Mike Collins to Denounce White Supremacy

• [WAGA] A group of Black pastors is calling on Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins to publicly denounce white supremacy. 
  
• [WAGA] The news conference this afternoon in Atlanta follows a CNN report that the congressman’s son-in-law has made posts on social media containing white nationalists, neo-Nazi, and antisemitic content. The pastors say Representative Collins should answer questions about his son-in-law more fully. 
  
• [REV. GERALD DURELY]  […] I do join with countless others for him to publicly denounce the political position of white nationalists […] White supremacy […] is not acceptable in an America that calls itself the United States of America.

The Atlanta Voice: ‘Who Are you?’: Local Faith Leaders Call Out Mike Collins
By Donnell Suggs | August 3, 2026

KEY EXCERPTS: 

• Local faith leaders such as Reverend Timothy McDonald III of First Iconium Baptist Church and a small group of people associated with Big Bethel AME Church gathered for a press conference outside of the iconic Black church in the Sweet Auburn District. The purpose of the meeting was simple, said McDonald III, they wanted to get Republican senatorial candidate Mike Collins to explain whether or not he has links to white supremacy groups. […]
  
• “Today, we’re asking you, Mr. Mike Collins, who are you? Are you with a white nationalist group? McDonald III said. “We are asking him to answer questions about his ties or commitments to any form or racist group.” […]
  
• “I’m a native Georgian, and I know what racism looks like,” McDonald III said. “I know what white supremacy looks like. That is what we’re asking Mike Collins about.” […]
  
• “Georgia voters deserve to know now,” McDonald III said. “If we’re going to cast an intelligent vote, we need to know now.” […]
  
• Reverend Dr. Gerald L. Durley, Pastor Emeritus of the Providence Baptist Church of Atlanta opened the press conference. He said the most important thing for Collins’ campaign will be complete clarity.
  
• “Maya Angelou once said, ‘If you want to know who somebody is, ask them.’ So today we’re asking you, Mr. Mike Collins—who are you? Who do you represent? We cannot stand—not with all the diversity in this city—for you to be connected, or even have ties,” said Durley.
   

Axios: Calls grow for Collins to address son-in-law’s white nationalist posts
By Kristal Dixon | August 3, 2026

KEY EXCERPTS: 

• A group of Black pastors held a press conference Monday urging Collins, a President Trump-backed candidate running to unseat incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, to answer questions about the posts. […]
  
• Monday’s press conference was held weeks after CNN first reported that Collins’ son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, was a “pro-White nationalist and social media influencer with a track record of sharing antisemitic material and Nazi imagery in comments across the internet.” […]
  
• Rev. Gerald L. Durley, a retired pastor and former dean at Clark Atlanta University, said that as Georgia grows more diverse, its elected officials have to serve people of all backgrounds.
  
• “Georgia cannot send a man to Washington to represent all of the people of Georgia who will not disclaim the allegations that he is a white nationalist sympathizer,” Durley said.
  
• “The most noble thing a citizen can do is to make sure they’re clear what their beliefs are,” said Rev. Timothy McDonald of First Iconium Baptist Church, an Ossoff supporter. “Mike Collins has not done that for the voters in Georgia.” […]
  
• During a campaign stop Thursday in Monroe County, Collins abruptly ended a press conference when his plan to discuss his proposed healthcare initiatives shifted to questions about Scheer, according to the AJC.

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