Jack Kingston.

Former congressman Jack Kingston has endorsed Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville) over former Athens congressman Paul Broun and two other challengers in Northeast Georgia’s 9th District Republican primary.

Kingston is an Athens native who represented Savannah in Congress for 20 years until, like Broun, he left his seat to run for Senate. (Broun finished fifth with 10 percent of the vote, while Kingston lost a runoff to David Perdue.) Kingston also served with Collins, who was first elected in 2012.

Here are the statements from Kingston and Collins released by the Collins campaign on Monday:

"Men like Doug Collins are a rare breed in Washington. What you see is what you get with Doug. He stands up for what he believes in and he represents common sense 9th district conservative values" said Jack Kingston. "Doug Collins has a servant's heart and he effectively represents those who have entrusted him with this office."

Jack added "Congress has very low approval ratings with the American people. Public servants like Doug Collins are shining stars of the right way to serve. Other members and those seeking elected office would do well to follow the good example he sets. Doug Collins is the 9th District; he will continue to make all of us proud and I'm standing with him in this election."

"Jack Kingston served alongside me and my opponent from the 10th District while we were all in Congress. Jack calls it like he sees it and I greatly appreciate his support so that I can continue to serve Georgia's 9th District. His fundraising for the Georgia Republican Party will help keep GA red and make sure that Hillary Clinton is defeated this November," said Doug Collins.

Kingston took a job as a lobbyist after losing the Senate race and is also the state GOP’s chief fundraiser. While endorsements don’t mean much these days, this further reinforces the idea that Collins is the “establishment” candidate, which could be as much a weakness as a strength in the far-right district.

Election Day is Tuesday, May 24.