Britt wins Alabama GOP Senate runoff

Katie Britt was projected to clinch the Republican Senate nomination in Alabama on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Mo Brooks in a closely watched primary runoff.

The Associated Press called the race at 9:30 p.m. ET.

With the nomination locked up, Britt, a former aide to Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), will head into the general election as the heavy favorite to succeed her former boss, who’s retiring early next year.

Her victory marks an end to one of the most tumultuous Republican primaries of the year and hands a win to former President Trump, who endorsed Britt earlier this month.

Early in the race, Trump threw his support behind Brooks. But the Alabama congressman long struggled to gain traction with voters and irked Trump last year by suggesting that Republicans should move on from the 2020 presidential election.

Trump rescinded his endorsement of Brooks in March, dealing him a major blow just a couple of months before the May 24 primary.

Brooks ultimately staged a comeback, finishing in second in the primary, though still some 15 points behind Britt.

Trump eventually endorsed Britt, giving her a major boost ahead of the runoff and dealing a major blow to Brooks’s Senate ambitions.

Britt will now go on to face Democrat Will Boyd in the general election, though she is expected to easily win in November. Shelby, her former boss, endorsed Britt last year shortly after she launched her Senate campaign.