Joe Collins on His Run For Office and Recent Controversy
Collins is running for HD70 in North Texas
We sat down with Joe Collins this week to discuss his run for office, his thoughts on Texas politics and issues, and the recent controversy surrounding his arrest last week.
Collins is running in HD70, a newly redrawn purple district where Democrat Mihaela Plesa was able to clench a win by less than 1,000 votes.
Representative Plesa, a moderate Democrat, has focused on issues related to education, supporting law enforcement, and property tax cuts. As a Democrat, Plesa has been far-left on social issues such as supporting abortion and LGBTQ propaganda.
Joe Collins, who ran against Democrat Ted Lieu in 2022 and Maxine Waters in 2020, may be a good fit for the district. When asked about his political views. Collins describes himself as “center-right” and willing to listen to both sides. In a purple district, this stance makes sense.
Collins, who grew up in Los Angeles, has previously spent time in Texas recruiting for the military. Collins has family in Texas, including his mother and a sister who works for a successful non-profit related to supporting victims of domestic violence.
Collins has cited Plano as a great place to raise his children. When asked about his thoughts on the current political inside-baseball in Texas politics, Collins stated he’s “still learning,” but he’s made an effort to attend important meetings such as the State Representative Executive Committee meeting earlier this month.
“I’m focused on the cost of living, reducing taxes, and economic development. People are focused a bit too much on social issues that, while important, distract from the issues that voters really turn out for.”
When asked about the grooming and transgender ideologies being pushed on children, Collins tells us that ideology has to stop being pushed on children in schools.
On other issues, Collins says he’s very familiar with the border: “I’ve been to the border plenty of times. Biden has to stop giving the impression that our border is safe. We need to hire more border patrol officers. Our border should not be open, and we need to enforce policy. We can’t just do catch and release.”
On the economy, Collins tells us the cost of living is rising too fast: “Nobody is mitigating this; at the state level, the best we can do is reduce property taxes; this is more of a national issue.”
On economic growth and homes, Collins is not necessarily against multi-tenant buildings: “I’m not opposed to them; we need more single-family homes though. We are underutilizing our land here in Texas.”
Collins is also pro-second amendment and pro-life.
For those unaware, Collins was arrested on the 21st for assault and interfering with an emergency request for assistance. Rumors have swirled around this incident and Collins gave us his side of the story.
He tells us that on the day of the incident, his girlfriend, now ex, came home, and an argument began related to a discussion about food. He removed himself from the situation, going to the restroom, where his ex continued to follow him. She eventually assaulted him, leaving scratches and cuts all over his face and body.
We noticed cuts on Collins’ face, even upon first meeting him that day. He then unbuttoned his shirt, showing us a very large number of cuts and scars on his neck and arms.
Collins tells us that his ex continued to assault him, even while holding her baby. He states that he then hugged her to stop her from attacking him and, for a moment, held her to the ground after she continued to assault him. He tells us that she agreed to calm down and left the apartment. Later, the police arrived for a wellness check and asked to come in. Collins refused, and the police left. The police later came back and asked for her son, at which point Collins states that he went to pack a bag for her son, and then police entered his apartment and arrested him.
Collins tells us that he has no criminal record, has an honorary discharge from the military, and that the incident is not a reflection of who he is. He says that this incident will not stop him from running, and he hopes to represent the constituents of HD70.
A police report of the incident has been requested, and we will update when that is provided.
We’re unaware at this time of any other Republican primary challengers that have expressed interest in running in HD70. We hope that this incident surrounding Collins is cleared up quickly, as HD70 is a battleground district that has a high chance for Republicans to take it back.
Tech Bro Steven Allen Kinard Jr from Richardson, who was arrested twice in his high school years, filed his paperwork to run for HD70 this week.
here's hoping he can clear this up. Anyone with the guts to run against Maxine Waters has some courage. And anyone from CA knows what to watch for here in TX so it does not happen here. It would be great to get an R in 70 if he can win.