OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump has made another endorsement, this time in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama.
After pulling his support for Rep. Mo Brooks, Trump is now backing GOP candidate Katie Britt in her election run-off against Brooks.
Britt received the most votes in the state’s GOP primary in late May but she failed to win more than 50 percent support on election night. Now she is facing off against Brooks, who came in second in the election. The next primary is scheduled for June 21.
Britt is outgoing Sen. Richard Shelby’s onetime chief of staff; she won 44.76 percent of the vote, according to Decision Desk HQ, with Brooks securing just over 29 percent.
Friday evening, Trump released a statement that said, “Mo has been wanting it back ever since,” in reference to his rescinded endorsement, “but I cannot give it to him!”
“Katie Britt, on the other hand, is a fearless America First Warrior,” he added.
Politico reported:
The decision deals a second major blow to Brooks, who Trump initially endorsed last year before pulling his support in March as Brooks’ campaign floundered. But Trump in the last couple weeks had not ruled out the possibility of re-endorsing Brooks, according to a person familiar with the president’s thinking, and was being urged by some Brooks allies to throw his support behind the MAGA candidate once again.
Trump’s endorsement of Britt is a striking contrast to the statement he released about the Senate candidate just under a year ago. In July, Trump called her the “assistant” to “the RINO Senator from Alabama, close friend of Old Crow Mitch McConnell, Richard Shelby.”
“She is not in any way qualified and is certainly not what our country needs,” Trump said at the time. “For Mitch McConnell to be wasting money on her campaign is absolutely outrageous. Vote for Mo Brooks!”
“The opposition says Katie is close to Mitch McConnell, but actually, she is not — in fact, she believes that McConnell put Mike Durant in the race to stop her, which is very possibly true,” Trump added.
Trump talked about his rescinded endorsement after he pulled it in March, explaining why.
“When I endorsed Mo Brooks, he took a 44-point lead and was unstoppable. He then hired a new campaign staff who ‘brilliantly’ convinced him to ‘stop talking about the 2020 Election,’” Trump said at the time.
“Very sad but, since he decided to go in another direction, so have I, and I am hereby withdrawing my Endorsement of Mo Brooks for the Senate,” he continued. “I don’t think the great people of Alabama will disagree with me. Election Fraud must be captured and stopped, or we won’t have a Country anymore.”
Britt noted that she has been vigorously campaigning.
“We are relentlessly visiting with voters across this great state,” Britt told Yellowhammer News this past week. “It is clear that people want new blood, they want fresh blood.
“They want someone to go to D.C. to shake it up — somebody that will fight for our values and fight for our people. And so there is no doubt that we are the best America First candidate and the person to go make those things happen,” she said.
“So we’re excited to make this happen on June 21st and look forward to continuing to earn the votes of every Alabamian across the state,” Britt added.
I'm proud to have visited all 67 counties across Alabama on the campaign trail!
If you haven't had the chance to meet me yet, this stop from Hale County is a good opportunity to learn more about my background and values. #alsen
Watch the full video: https://t.co/k1SftqK2JT pic.twitter.com/MF97MDIRVk
— Katie Britt for AL (@KatieBrittforAL) March 12, 2022
Former Trump adviser Steve Cortes endorsed Britt as well and has also appeared with her on the campaign trail this past week.
“I live nearby. I live just across the border in Tennessee, but if I did live in Alabama, I’d be voting for Katie, and I’ll tell you why,” Cortes told Yellowhammer News. “She is really the dynamic, next generation of America First. And what I mean by that specifically is that she believes in sovereignty, she believes in cultural conservatism, she believes in populist economics for this country, and really placing America first.”
“And I’ll also tell you, on the other hand, when I look at her opponent, when I look at Mo Brooks, I see someone who unfortunately has sold out all too often to the Washington establishment,” he added. “Somebody who has, at times, [been] tired and predictable in his views, and to be specific, especially as it relates to his views and vote on Ukraine.”
