Last Updated on June 12, 2022
Former President Donald Trump has made an unexpected endorsement in the upcoming run-off election for the GOP nomination for Senate in Alabama. Katie Britt, who won nearly 50% of the vote in the recent primary, received the coveted endorsement of the former president. Her challenger, Mo Brooks, previously had the support of the 45th President, who later pulled his endorsement.
WOW Trump is now endorsing Katie Britt in AL Senate race after withdrawing his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks weeks ago
Says “Mo has been wanting it back ever since—but I cannot give it to him!” pic.twitter.com/Fan1dAaDSM
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) June 11, 2022
The endorsement of Britt is a rather curious one to many of Trump’s most fervent supporters. Brooks is more closely aligned with the populist “MAGA” agenda than is Britt, who also has support from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and is also tied to several “Never Trumpers.”
It is worth noting that the endorsement also comes after Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr. called Britt “Alabama’s Liz Cheney“, a reference to the Trump-deranged Congresswoman from Wyoming.
Great work, everyone. pic.twitter.com/HimWQ0CIn7
— David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense (@davereaboi) June 12, 2022
Trump’s endorsement statement does reference the Britt-McConnell connection, but also mentions that McConnell may have put Mike Durant in the race to help Brooks. This however, seems to be unlikely, as Brooks is one of few GOP Senate candidates to publicly call for McConnell to be ousted from his leadership position within the party. Brooks even signed a “Fire McConnell pledge” and encouraged other GOP Senate hopefuls to join him.
Trump’s endorsement message applauds Britt as an “America First warrior” who has worked to improve Alabama’s economy and bring more jobs to the state. He also calls her and her husband Wesley, a former football player at the University of Alabama and in the NFL, “true champions for the American family.”
However, the endorsement message mentions Brooks noticeably more than it does Britt.
In a similar tone to his “unendorsement” of Brooks, Trump again mentioned that Brooks “went woke” at a rally by telling the crowd to put the 2020 election and allegations of fraud behind them, suggesting that this remains the driving force behind his antipathy toward Brooks.
Brooks was a staunch ally of Trump’s during his term as president and has a record as one of the most conservative members of Congress. Brooks has since addressed the question of election fraud, even to the point of taking a Fox News host to task on the issue.
The run-off election between Brooks and Britt will be held next Tuesday, June 21. The winner of the runoff is expected to easily win the Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Richard Shelby.
