A Republican Senate hopeful in Georgia has been slammed after his campaign account mocked Matt Lauer's rape accuser Brooke Nevils and her husband.

Rep Mike Collins' team referred to Nevils' partner Luke Thompson as 'Matt Lauer's sloppy seconds' in a post on X.

Thompson is an advisor to Derek Dooley, who is facing off against Collins in the battle for Georgia's Senate seat.

The remark appeared to reference rape allegations Nevils' brought against former NBC host Lauer almost a decade ago, which he has denied.

It came after Thompson shared new polling data on X Friday showing the race tightening between Dooley and Collins.

A campaign account called Mike Collins War Room replied to his post saying: 'Matt Lauer's sloppy seconds chiming in to take an L.'

It was swiftly deleted following backlash online after the exchange was amplified by Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein. Collins has since distanced himself from the post and denied signing it off. 

'A campaign account for Senate candidate Mike Collins mocks an adviser to rival Derek Dooley's PAC whose wife attempted suicide after accusing Matt Lauer of rape,' Bluestein wrote.

Nevils first went public with rape allegations against Lauer in 2019 when she allowed Ronan Farrow to name her in the 2019 book Catch and Kill, an investigative memoir about alleged abuses of power.

It came two years after Lauer's contract was abruptly terminated by NBC after the network announced it had received 'a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.'

The statement added that NBC had: 'Reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.'

Lauer has denied Nevils' allegations and insisted they had consensual sex which sparked the beginning of their affair. He has never been accused or charged with any crime.

But Nevils told Farrow that Lauer anally raped her in his hotel room while working for NBC host Meredith Vieira at the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia.

After the Russia trip, Nevils alleged further encounters took place, which NBC later referred to as 'alleged inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace,' before she filed a complaint in 2017, according to People.

Lauer denied the allegation, saying the encounter was consensual. 

The 'sloppy seconds' comment, which has since been deleted, triggered a wave of backlash online, with critics saying it made light of rape allegations and relied on misogynistic and degrading language. 

Conservative radio host Erick Erickson slammed the remark in an X post, writing: 'A campaign that can’t help but make rape jokes about a rape victim will be unable to avoid antisemitic jokes about Jon Ossoff. Mike Collins’s campaign needs to go away.'

Steve Guest, former staffer for Texas Sen Ted Cruz, added: 'Mike Collins is paying for this trash.'

'After Collins made fun of rape victims, his paid online operation doubles down on the disgusting content,' he added. 'This is not a serious operation. It’s a dirtbag circus.'

Collins addressed the comment in a statement on X hours later, calling the language 'despicable and unauthorized.'

'Earlier today, a campaign advisor sent out a despicable and unauthorized twitter comment using a Team Collins campaign account,' Collins wrote.

'The statement was made without my knowledge or approval and in no way represents or reflects my values or the values of this campaign,' he added.

'I want to apologize for this offensive tweet. I have made staffing changes to ensure this type of behavior never happens again.'

Nevils began her career at NBC in New York City in 2008, working at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, before eventually becoming a producer in 2014, a role that involved 60-hour workweeks, she previously told Arts & Sciences. 

While Lauer was fired just one day after the complaint, additional allegations from other individuals soon emerged, prompting NBC to issue a statement, according to People. 

'Matt Lauer’s conduct was appalling, horrific and reprehensible, as we said at the time,' the network wrote.

'That’s why he was fired within 24 hours of us first learning of the complaint. Our hearts break again for our colleague.'

In Farrow’s book, Nevils detailed how her mental health deteriorated following the alleged incident, eventually leading her to take a leave of absence that became permanent.

She said she developed post-traumatic stress disorder after filing the complaint and spent time in a psychiatric ward, describing feeling 'so worthless and damaged that the world would be better off without me.' She also allegedly attempted suicide.

In 2019, NBC said: 'Matt Lauer’s conduct was appalling, horrific and reprehensible, as we said at the time. That’s why he was fired within 24 hours of us first learning of the complaint. Our hearts break again for our colleague.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Nevils, Thompson, Lauer and Collins for comment. 

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to hotline.rainn.org.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text 'STRENGTH' to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.