Collins advances from ‘ back bench’

N.Y. congressman was first to endorse Trump

Rep. Chris Collins was sitting in an eye doctor’s chair in Clarence, N.Y., a couple of weeks ago when he got an unexpected call from a blocked number. It was President Trump, wanting to know how things were going and whether his people were treating Collins well.

The stunned eye doctor wondered whether telling his wife would break any patient privacy laws. “I said, don’t worry,” Collins recalled. “You go home and tell your wife that your patient talked to the president.”

A year ago, Collins was a congressman representing western New York and the Finger Lakes with no leadership roles or national profile to speak of.

That all changed after Feb. 24, 2016, when he became the first member of Congress to endorse Trump.

Since then, Collins has served at Trump’s behest as the congressional liaison to the transition team. He became one of Trump’s top defenders in more than 200 national television appearances.

Before Trump, “he was kind of a back-bench Republican — solid, but not noteworthy on any particular grounds,” said James Campbell, a University at Buffalo political science professor.

Now he is a partner to the president.

“The president appreciates loyalty,” said Nick Langworthy, Erie County GOP chairman. “I think they forged a relationship very early on, and that’s continued, and it will provide a strong partnership in governing.”

Never mind challenges with courts, nominees, leaders of allied nations or allegations of Russian influence. Trump gets an “A-plusplus” rating from Collins, who said Republicans who are concerned should just “chill out.”

In the past month, Collins’ loyalty has yielded personal rewards. He boasts that he was the only rank-and-file Congress member invited to a private lunch after Trump’s inauguration. He and other early supporters — the “Trump caucus,” as he calls them — spent an hour with Trump in the White House last week. Collins, who sat beside Trump, arranged the meeting after Trump suggested getting “the team back together.”

“The president appreciates loyalty. I think they forged a relationship very early on.” Nick Langworthy, Erie County GOP chairman