OUT OF GAS

MAGA Candidate Begs for Diesel Money as Prices Skyrocket

Republicans keep asking Americans for gas money as Trump’s war sends prices soaring.

MAGA Senate candidate Mike Collins is begging for diesel money from supporters while repeatedly voting against ending Donald Trump’s war in Iran despite soaring fuel costs.

The Georgia Republican congressman is attempting to oust Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, but the language used on his fundraising page is a head-scratcher as diesel prices hit record levels nationally and in his state.

“PUT SOME DIESEL IN THE TANK!” the page reads under an image of him standing with Trump.

“I can’t win this race if my campaign is running on fumes,” his website also reads. “It’s a long road to Election Day. Your donation today gives Mike the fuel he needs to go the distance.”

Collins, a former trucker who owns a trucking business, has a lot of language about driving and trucking on his website, but it’s noticeably absent of any pitch for how to bring down the high costs of fuel.

It comes as the average price of diesel is $6.31, according to AAA, more than $2.75 more per gallon than it was a year ago, and just shy of the record price for diesel ever hit in the state just last week at $6.35 per gallon.

The average price of gas in Georgia is $4.16 a gallon, up from $2.89 a year ago.

While the cost of diesel soars, Collins has voted six times against war powers resolutions to end U.S. hostilities in Iran, including just last week.

Asked at a campaign stop on Friday about prices, including gas, being too high and whether Republicans, who have had control for nearly two years, could turn it around, Collins acknowledged the prices were too high, but he blamed Joe Biden.

“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.

Play Video

Inflation did soar under Biden as the U.S. came out of the coronavirus pandemic, but it had eased dramatically by the end of his term. The average price of gas when he left office was about $3.08. The average price of diesel was about $3.71.

The Georgia Republican, whose campaign has been hampered by numerous scandals, made the claim while standing beside Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who traveled down to Georgia to campaign with Collins on Friday.

WHITE FLIGHT

MAGA Rep Flees Presser After Son-in-Law’s Nazi Posts Come Up

William Vaillancourt

The Daily Beast asked Collins’ campaign about his plan specifically to lower gas and diesel prices but did not receive a response.

Not only has Georgia Republican voted against the resolutions to end the Iran war, but he has said he “wholeheartedly supports” the Trump administration’s policies and argued “the president’s gotten this right” when asked if the U.S. should have gone to war in Iran.

exclusive

FUEL’S ERRAND

GOP Senator Begs for Gas Money After Upholding Trump's War

Julia Ornedo

Collins was the latest in a series of GOP Senate candidates to beg for gas money to fuel their campaigns in recent months.

Maine Senator Susan Collins asked supporters to chip in $5 in a fundraising pitch to “fuel the tour” as she hit the road across her state.

GOP Senator Dan Sullivan also sent out a fundraising email earlier this year with a line that the money would “Pay for gas as we visit isolated rural areas of Alaska.”

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Sarah Ewall-WicePolitical Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.