Trump-backed candidate wins red state Senate primary

Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) won Georgia's Republican Senate primary Tuesday night with President Donald Trump's backing, defeating former football coach Derek Dooley (R-GA).

Collins now faces Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in what experts predict will be one of the country's most contentious Senate races.

However, Collins carries significant baggage. He faces a Congressional ethics investigation for allegedly using campaign funds to pay an intern who performed no work, according to the Georgia Recorder, and a social media account tied to him posted derogatory remarks about Dooley's wife, reports The Punchbowl.

Political analysts suggest Collins's scandal-plagued record strengthens Ossoff's position.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) wrote on X, "The chaotic and bruising Republican primary exposed Mike Collins’ record: stripping Georgians of their health care to give tax breaks to billionaires, capitulating to Trump while Georgia families pay the price, and facing a bipartisan Congressional ethics investigation for misusing taxpayer dollars."

Pollster Adam Carlson also took to X, writing, "It’s Georgia, so there are no statewide Dem blowouts, but Ossoff starts off as the clear favorite against Collins."

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