Alabama's Republican primary to the U.S. Senate will be held in June between U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks and Katie Britt. Brooks won't lose former President Donald Trump’s endorsement but is still a candidate for the GOP nomination.
These candidates will be running for the Senate seat currently held by U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, who is retiring. Britt was Shelby's former chief of personnel and former leader of The Business Council of Alabama. Brooks is a north Alabama congressman who has served six terms.
Mike Durant was beaten by the two, a businessman who is best known for being the pilot of the helicopter that was shot down and taken prisoner in the events described in "Black Hawk Down." The candidates advanced to the June 21 runoff. This is necessary when no candidate has more than 50%.
"It is evident tonight that Alabamians need new blood. They want someone who will go to Washington, D.C., to shake things up. They want a true Christian conservative Republican who will take on the America First agenda and not just talk about it, but actually does something about it," Britt said to supporters in Montgomery.
Brooks was largely ignored by many people two months ago, when Trump shockingly resigned as his favorite candidate in the primary. Brooks battled his way to second place behind Britt. He used his voter history, stumped with Ted Cruz in Texas, and took advantage of negative ads that targeted Durant.
Brooks continued to run as "MAGA Mo", referring to Trump's Make America Great Again slogan. Brooks declared himself to be the "America First MAGA candidate" and stated that he had a track record on issues such as border security and opposition of abortion in his Tuesday night speech.
"This Senate race is a fight for the soul and future of the Republican Party. Brooks stated that it is a battle for the United States of America.
Trump initially supported Brooks in the race and rewarded the fiery congressman for speaking at the "Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021. The former president withdrew his backing for Brooks in March. He was unhappy about Brooks' performance, and accused Brooks of being "woke" for suggesting that it was time to end Trump's false claims regarding 2020 election fraud. Trump did not endorse another candidate in the primary.
Phil. T. McCuiston Jr., aged 83, wore a cap with the words "Trump" Monday to hear Brooks and Ted Cruz speak in Huntsville.
McCuiston, a retired businessman, stated that Trump gets 95% right but Brooks is the one who wins. "He has the record."
Jack Graham (71), voted for Britt in east Montgomery on Tuesday.
"It's high time for the youth to take control. Let's see if she can succeed. She's intelligent, I believe. She's level-headed. She comes from a solid background. Graham stated that she has a lot of experience.
Brooks received a series ads attacking Durant. One was from a political committee and portrayed Durant as a former prisoner of war who opposed gun rights. Durant called the ad "patently false" and stated that it was hard to defeat an opponent with "zero integrity, unlimited resources." He encouraged supporters to support candidates who would go to Washington to do something else.
Durant stated Tuesday in his concession speech that "You cannot stand here and complain over what's happening in Washington, D.C., then go vote for someone who's part the establishment."
The Rev. will be the Republican nominee. Will Boyd is a Hoover minister and engineer who defeated two of his opponents in Tuesday's primary. Boyd was the Democratic nominee to be lieutenant governor, but he lost to Will Ainsworth in 2018.
