Mike Collins

FORSYTH — Every campaign faces an unwelcome test when controversy strikes.

Address it too little and it festers. Dwell on it too much and it overwhelms the message. Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins is finding out how difficult that balancing act can be.

One of his first public appearances in weeks was supposed to showcase a familiar Republican healthcare agenda. Standing outside the Monroe County Hospital on Thursday, Collins called for expanded tax credits, greater price transparency and policies aimed at lowering prescription drug costs, while accusing Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of being out of touch with Georgians’ problems.

“He’s a trust fund kid who has no concept of how expensive or difficult healthcare has gotten because he’s never had to deal with it like we have in the private sector,” said Collins, whose family founded the trucking company he now runs.

But once reporters began asking questions, the carefully planned rollout quickly shifted. Nearly every shouted question centered on Collins’ response to revelations about his son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, whose social media accounts contained white nationalist and antisemitic content, including Nazi imagery and conspiracy theories.

CNN first reported the posts, which were later independently confirmed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Collins initially tried to pivot.

“We fully addressed that,” he said. “But Jon Ossoff refuses to disavow these Democrat socialist movements in our country. As a matter of fact, he embraces that.”

After CNN’s report, Collins’ campaign released a statement to the AJC saying the congressman “has always condemned all forms of antisemitism, including this, and always will regardless of the source,” while highlighting his long record of support for Israel. Collins later told the AJC that only he speaks for himself and that neither relatives nor staff define his views.

But Thursday’s news conference showed that Ossoff’s attempts to keep it in the spotlight are exacting a toll. The Democrat has held a spate of news conferences, including a virtual event shortly before Collins’ appearance, calling for the Republican to reveal more details.

It comes as Collins, who is lagging Ossoff in polls and fundraising, is already trying to convince Republicans in Georgia and Washington that he can run a disciplined statewide campaign after a string of self-inflicted distractions. The controversy surrounding Scheer follows scrutiny of former aides and other episodes that Democrats have used to question Collins’ judgment.

On Thursday, Collins got a major shot in the arm with the announcement by the GOP-aligned One Nation organization would spend $15 million targeting Ossoff, on top of another $44 million another affiliate has already pledged to spend on the race.

Ossoff, for his part, has no intention of letting the issue fade. Asked by the AJC on Thursday about his healthcare policy, the Democratic incumbent discussed Medicaid expansion before immediately turning to Collins.