The Alabama senate race isn’t until 2022, but things are already heating up between frontrunners Katie Boyd Britt and Mo Brooks. While Brooks is betting on the power of the Donald Trump endorsement, Britt is leaning on more than just her connections to Senator Richard Shelby.
According to the National Journal, Trump sent a statement through his PAC calling Shelby a “RINO.”
Trump, in a statement, said Britt is “not what Alabama wants.”
Trump wrote, “I see that the RINO Senator from Alabama, close friend of Old Crow Mitch McConnell, Richard Shelby, is pushing hard to have his ‘assistant’ fight the great Mo Brooks for his Senate seat.”
In an interview with National Journal last week, Shelby suggested that Brooks is “feeling the momentum” of Britt’s candidacy.
“Katie’s really just getting started. They’re showing a lot of interest, and they’re probably nervous about it,” Shelby commented. Britt has brought in $2.2 million in the second quarter of 2021 and had $2.1 million cash on hand. Brooks only brought in $824,000 in the second quarter.
Brooks sent an email to the National Journal responding to Shelby’s comments. “I get that Richard Shelby wants to bequeath Alabama’s Senate seat to his former, relatively inexperienced employee. But U.S. Senate seats should never be inherited or bought, they should be earned and decided by the people of Alabama,” Brooks stated. “In any event, ‘rationality’ and ‘irrationality’ are in the eye of the beholder. I am 100% certain that, to Washington’s Swamp and special interest groups who routinely buy Congressmen and Senators, I appear very irrational because I put America First and special interest groups and their Swamp money dead last!”
Brooks continued, “No person in Alabama history has been elected more times to public office as a Republican than has Mo Brooks. As such, I respectfully submit that Alabama voters have a much different perception of rationality than do Washington’s Swamp critters.”
Apryl Marie Fogel, guest host of the Dan Morris Show on NewsTalk 93.1 Montgomery, spoke to Britt on her radio show on Thursday.
When asked to respond to comments from the Trump organization and Brooks’ thoughts on her qualifications, Britt responded, “I know my opponent is a career politician, and he is clearly experienced at running for office and drawing a check off the taxpayer dime, honestly. I think as far as qualifications go, I believe qualifications are fighting tirelessly for Alabamians and listening to what issues they have and looking at what we’re facing in our country and knowing how to achieve results.”
“Putting Alabama first and delivering real results for hard-working Alabamians is what I’ve done day in and day out throughout my career, Britt continued. “I define success through results, and it looks like my opponent, particularly given his words there, seems to define success through how many times he can put his name on a ballot in a lifetime. I guess I respectfully disagree.”
There are also two other candidates in the senate race: former Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard and former House candidate Jessica Taylor.
*Apryl Marie Fogel is the owner and publisher of Alabama Today.
