BUFFALO, N.Y. — Chris Collins is planning another run for Congress.
The former congressman told 2 On Your Side's Scott Levin, via text, that he is assembling a team. Collins told Levin that he would run for the 19 Congressional District in Florida, which includes Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel, Bonita Springs, Naples, and Marco Island along the Gulf Coast.
Collins "will run for FL-19 when/if Congressman Byron Donalds steps aside to run for Governor or U.S. Senate, which is rumored. If Collins wins, he would be the first member to represent 2 different states in the past 55 years," Levin said Sunday evening in a tweet.
Collins spoke at the United We Stand Trump Flotilla 2024 event in Florida on Sunday.
He told the crowd about his political career and his federal case that landed him in prison.
"I never would have been convicted by a jury. Which they also knew. So they leveraged my 24-year-old son with a promise of leniency if I agreed to plead. and I did what any loving father would do. I gave the DOJ what they wanted. My resignation from Congress, which silenced my voice supporting Donald Trump on cable news," he told the crowd.
While referring to his political career in Buffalo, he said, "I defeated now Governor Kathy Hochul, She was the congresswoman. It's the only election she ever lost. She ended up as lieutenant governor and is now the most woke governor in New York and I have to plead guilty. I'm the one that created that monster by defeating her and kicking her out of Congress. In 2012. I was the first member of Congress to endorse Trump on February 24, 2016."
He also had comments about the current President.
"Joe Biden and his woke army are attacking the moral compass of our great nation. Only Joe Biden and his woke extremists are celebrating Pride Month. They're supporting the LGPQRSTUVWXYZ population. If I had my way, we'd be replacing Pride Month with make America great again month," Collins said.
Collins has been arrested, tried, and convicted of federal insider trading charges before spending time in prison and receiving a pardon from former president Donald Trump.
2 On Your Side, back in January of 2021, asked Collins about the moment he found out he was pardoned.
"One of the officials called us up in our dorm and said, 'You've been pardoned by the president. You are going home tonight. We have to get you out of here tonight. We need your wife and family to make arrangements,' " Collins said. "They never done anything like this, and I broke down."
Collins also talked about that infamous phone call he made to his son, Cameron, on the White House front lawn.
"I've paid a steep price for that as a former member of Congress and someone who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud," he said.
"I paid a price for that and I'm moving on with my life, but we do all make mistakes. That was a mistake, and it impacted my entire family, and that was five minutes out of 70 years, and I've paid a steep price for that."
Collins told 2 On Your Side he is a more humble and empathetic person as a result of his prison experience.