(CNN) Donald Trump on Wednesday picked up his first congressional endorsement as fellow New Yorker Rep. Chris Collins announced he was supporting the billionaire GOP presidential candidate.
"We need a chief executive, not a chief politician," Collins, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, said on "Outfront" with CNN's Erin Burnett. "Donald Trump is the individual as president that can lead this country and reclaim our great state and provide a bright future for our children."
Collins had previously endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the South Carolina primary, following months of Trump badgering and name-calling the former Florida governor.
Collins touted his own three decades-long career in the private sector and said voters were hungry for someone with the experiences of a business executive, not a politician.
Collins said Wednesday on CNN that Trump is "the guy that has been signing the front of a pay check and not the back."