Chris Collins (New York politician)
Chris Collins | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2013 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 27th district | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – October 1, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Kathy Hochul (redistricted) |
| Succeeded by | Chris Jacobs |
| 7th Executive of Erie County | |
| In office January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Joel Giambra |
| Succeeded by | Mark Poloncarz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Carl Collins May 20, 1950 Schenectady, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Collins |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | North Carolina State University (BS) University of Alabama, Birmingham (MBA) |
| Criminal information | |
| Criminal status | Pardoned |
| Criminal charge | Insider trading |
| Penalty | Sentenced to 2 years |
Christopher Carl Collins (born May 20, 1950) is an American Republican Party politician and businessman from the state of Florida.
Collins served as president and CEO of Nuttall Gear Corporation, located in Niagara Falls, New York. In 2007, he was elected as county executive of Erie County, New York. He held that position for one term and was defeated in his 2011 bid for re-election. Collins was elected U.S. representative for New York's 27th congressional district in 2012. In 2016, Collins became the first sitting U.S. representative to endorse Donald Trump for president of the United States; he served on Trump's first presidential transition team.
Collins and his son, Cameron Collins, were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on August 8, 2018 and charged with insider trading and making false statements. Three days later, Collins announced that he was suspending his bid for a fourth term in Congress; however, on September 17, 2018, he resumed his re-election campaign. Collins was narrowly re-elected to Congress on November 6, 2018. On October 1, 2019, he resigned from Congress and pleaded guilty to insider trading and lying to the FBI (both felonies). Collins began serving a 26-month prison sentence in October 2020. He was pardoned by President Trump on December 22, 2020.
In June 2025, Collins announced his 2026 candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida's 19th congressional district.