{"id":4516,"date":"2026-08-07T07:35:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4516"},"modified":"2026-08-07T07:35:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:35:42","slug":"deep-red-georgia-mayors-endorse-democrat-over-trump-backed-challenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4516","title":{"rendered":"Deep-red Georgia mayors endorse Democrat over Trump-backed challenger"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Republican mayors in deep-red Georgia are coming out against Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) despite his endorsement from President Donald Trump. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4514\">Mom who voted for Trump moved to tears over economic struggles<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Politics reporter Greg Bluestein reported for the <em>Atlanta Journal-Constitution <\/em>Thursday that Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Tifton Mayor Julie Smith are both supporting Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff (Ga.). <\/p>\n<p>Both local mayors attribute their support of Ossoff to impeccable constituent services for Georgians having trouble navigating the government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have to track him down. He tracks me down,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n<p>Bluestein said that the mayors&#8217; &#8220;willingness to cross party lines signals a weakness for Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins, who has struggled to unite his party and broaden his appeal following a bruising primary fight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Collins, a Trump loyalist, was up against Derek Dooley, who was supported by state Republicans like Gov. Brian Kemp (R).<\/p>\n<p>South Georgia is about as red as it gets according to the 2024 maps, so non-partisan municipal leaders are stepping outside of the political safety bubble to support Ossoff. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The support is notable because it comes from one of the most conservative corners of Georgia,&#8221; explained Bluestein. &#8220;Trump carried Tifton\u2019s Tift County by nearly 36 percentage points and Valdosta\u2019s Lowndes County by about 18 points in 2024. The president topped more than 70 percent of the vote in many surrounding counties.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But Smith explained that Ossoff has been dedicated to helping all parts of the state. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s been very good to South Georgia, and in my nonpartisan role as mayor, I have to look to someone who takes care of their constituents. I\u2019m a Republican, but there are times when a person exceeds the party. They go above and beyond,&#8221; Smith explained. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4512\">The GOP\u2019s secret anti-Trump brigade is running out of time<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Matheson, the report said, sees himself as a \u201chard-core conservative.&#8221; Yet, the far-right talk radio show host and Ossoff have managed to form an unlikely friendship. Matheson called it one of the biggest surprises of his life. <\/p>\n<p>They previously had what he called a &#8220;standoffish&#8221; meeting, but the two joined forces to secure $2 million for Valdosta\u2019s transit system. Ossoff was also the first lawmaker to show up after Valdosta was hit by devastating hurricanes. <\/p>\n<p>Matheson is unafraid of any flak he might get from the right for the endorsement. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will take heat for this endorsement, and it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Matheson said. \u201cThere\u2019s no way I can turn my back on this relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe voters put me in here to do a job, and that man has been absolutely incredible,&#8221; he added. <\/p>\n<p>Ossoff is known for his good relationships with Republicans, and he even secured an endorsement from former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, another far-right Republican who was caught in Trump&#8217;s crosshairs. <\/p>\n<p>Both Republicans are supporting the Republican candidate for governor and other GOP races. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4510\">Impeachment articles filed against \u2018unelected shadow president\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republican mayors in deep-red Georgia are coming out against Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) despite his endorsement from President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Deep-red Georgia mayors endorse Democrat over Trump-backed challenger - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4516\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Deep-red Georgia mayors endorse Democrat over Trump-backed challenger - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Republican mayors in deep-red Georgia are coming out against Rep. 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