Mike Collins to speak at Republican midterm convention ahead of pivotal Georgia Senate election

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins is set to speak at the first night of the Republican National Committee's Midterm Convention in Dallas on Wednesday night.

Collins is one of a number of elected officials to take the stage on Wednesday at American Airlines Center in a lineup that includes President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr., and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The second-term Georgia Republican congressman and self-described "MAGA warrior" is running against Sen. Jon Ossoff, the only Senate Democrat running for reelection in a state that Mr. Trump won two years ago. He defeated Derek Dooley, a former college football coach after a crowded primary and lengthy runoff in which the president endorsed him two days before the election.

Collins himself has called the race against Ossoff "challenging." Earlier this year, the incumbent senator reported raising $20 million from more than 470,000 donations in a single quarter. In the same time period, Collins raised $2.1 million. 

Ossoff has made Mr. Trump a focal point of his campaign, blasting him as a "national embarrassment" who is using the presidency to enrich himself and his family. He has also criticized Collins for allegedly misusing taxpayer funds and ethics investigations.

In a press release on Tuesday, Ossoff's campaign said that Collins' appearance at the midterm convention is "foolishly tying himself even closer to the deeply unpopular president less than 60 days away from Election Day."

A busy convention, but some party members skipping the event

Organizers have outlined 12 hours of programming over the two nights that will include more than 100 speakers and segments focused on subjects like tax cuts, fraud allegations, border security and a proposed ban on members of Congress trading stocks.

Many party members, including those facing tight races, are skipping the convention, citing conflicting obligations or balking at demands that they pony up for access. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said some members of his caucus plan to skip Dallas, preferring to stay home and campaign for reelection, but many of them will make an appearance.

"We'll parade our stars across the stage," he said.

Collins is one of two Georgia lawmakers set to address the convention. Rep. Brian Jack is scheduled to speak on Thursday.