Laken Riley's mother and stepfather strongly endorse House Republican vying for US Senate seat

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Trump says Laken Riley Act was to ensure she ‘did not die in vain’

President Donald Trump details the Laken Riley Act and how her death was the result of an open southern border during his address to a joint session of Congress.

Laken Riley's mother and stepfather endorsed Rep. Mike Collins, a House Republican running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, according to a campaign press release.

Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student murdered last year by Venezuelan man Jose Ibarra, who was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

"There is simply no one else in this race who deserves to be in the U.S. Senate more than Mike Collins. He is someone who says what he means, means what he says, and actually delivers results that matter," Allyson Riley and John Phillips, said in a statement, according to the press release. Many reports have previously referred to Riley's mother as Allyson Phillips, not Allyson Riley, as the press release does.

TRUMP ALLY MIKE COLLINS LAUNCHES KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT-HELD SENATE SEAT

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"What Mike did for our family wasn't about politics and it wasn't about attention or the spotlight. He stood up to do what was right and help bring justice for our sweet Laken. For that, our family will be forever grateful to Mike Collins, Senator Katie Britt, and President Trump," they declared in the statement.

The "Laken Riley Act" was the first piece of legislation that President Donald Trump signed into law after starting his second term earlier this year.

TRUMP SIGNS LAKEN RILEY ACT INTO LAW AS FIRST LEGISLATIVE VICTORY IN NEW ADMINISTRATION

Surrounded by members of Congress and the family of Laken Riley, U.S. President Donald Trump poses with the signed Laken Riley Act, the first piece of legislation passed during his second term in office, in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 29, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is aiming to win re-election next year in the Peach State, voted in favor of passing the legislation.

"The Biden administration and our current senators voted for open borders that allowed Laken's killer to come to the United States. They were looking out for illegal immigrants instead of looking out for their own constituents," the couple declared in their statement.

Collins noted in a post on X that he is "Incredibly humbled to have the support of Laken’s family in our race for U.S. Senate" and that "She is why I’m fighting—and her cause keeps me focused on what's at stake."

LAKEN RILEY MURDER: JUDGE SENTENCES COLLEGE STUDENT KILLER AFTER FAMILY ADDRESSES ‘MONSTER’ IN COURT

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-GA., questions the Director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh; FBI Director, Kash Patel; Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; CIA Director, John Ratcliffe; and Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on "Worldwide Threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 25, 2025. (Maansi Srivastava for the Washington Post)

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Another House Republican, Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., is also making a bid for the Senate seat.