Trump-backed Rep. Mike Collins projected to win Georgia GOP Senate primary runoff

Washington — Rep. Mike Collins will face off against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November as Republicans look to Georgia to deliver a key GOP victory that could determine control of the Senate. Collins won the Republican Senate runoff in Georgia on Tuesday night, CBS News projects, defeating Derek Dooley, a former college football coach. The contest went to a runoff after no candidate secured 50% of the vote in last month's primary , where a third candidate, Rep. Buddy Carter, was eliminated. Collins, the owner of a trucking business, has represented Georgia in the House since 2023 and finished first in the runoff with almost 41% of the vote. Dooley, an attorney who coached football at the University of Tennessee and is the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, won around 30% of the vote last month. Collins secured a last-minute boost on Sunday when President Trump waded into the race, endorsing the two-term congressman over Dooley. The president called Collins a "true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR, who has been with us from the very beginning." Mr. Trump's endorsement highlighted a proxy battle between the president and Gov. Brian Kemp, who endorsed Collins' opponent. The president and Kemp have had a turbulent relationship, which was marked by the governor resisting Mr. Trump's efforts to intervene in Georgia's presidential election results in 2020. …