GOP primary race for Alabama Senate seat turns bitter
Alabama’s Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby has become a bitter high-dollar contest with the three strongest contenders jockeying for the nomination. The leading candidates are U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who won — and then lost — former President Donald Trump’s backing in the race; Katie Boyd Britt, the former leader of Business Council of Alabama and Shelby’s former chief of staff; and Mike Durant, an aerospace company owner best known as the helicopter pilot whose capture during a U.S. military mission in Somalia was chronicled in the “Black Hawk Down” book and subsequent movie. Lillie Boddie, Karla M. Dupriest, and Jake Schafer are also seeking the GOP nomination. Observers say it’s hard to predict whether the nomination will be settled in Tuesday’s primary. The fractured field increases the chances that the race will go to a June 21 runoff, which is required unless one candidate captures more than 50% of Tuesday’s vote. David Mowery, an Alabama-based political consultant, said the race has an up-for-grabs feel. “It’s anybody’s guess as to who’s in first and who’s in second in the runoff,” he said. As for the barrage of negative campaign ads in the primary’s closing days, Mowery said: “The gloves have come off.” The Alabama race is one of several bitterly contested GOP primaries for open Senate seats. Retirements also sparked heated races this season in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and in Ohio. Trump further scrambled the Alabama race this spring when he rescinded his endorsement of Brooks. Both Britt and Durant have courted Trump’s nod, but he has so far stayed out of the Alabama race. “We look at this country and don’t recognize it right now. Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, every single thing in this nation is moving in the wrong direction,” Britt said during a speech to the Republican Women of East Alabama. Before leading the Business Council, Britt served as chief of staff to Shelby, one of the Senate’s most senior members and a traditional Republican known for his ability to bring home federal projects and funding to his home state. But in speeches Britt, running under a slogan of Alabama First, has leaned away from her hefty Washington resume. She said it’s important voters get to know her and the kind of senator she will be. Her experience, she said, gave her an opportunity to understand how the Senate works. “I can hit the ground running on day one. And for me, Alabama First is not just a slogan. It’s a mission,” she said. Brooks, a six-term congressman from north Alabama, is banking on his long history with Alabama voters to overcome his feud with Trump. “If you’re a conservative Republican, I would submit to you that I’m the only proven conservative in this race. With me, there is no rolling the dice to determine how I’m going to go on major public policy issues,” Brooks said, urging people to look up his ratings from the National Rifle Association, Heritage Action, and other groups. Despite losing Trump’s backing, he continues to run as “MAGA Mo,” invoking Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan, and his campaign website continues to include old video footage of Trump praising the north Alabama congressman. Trump initially endorsed Brooks last year, rewarding the conservative firebrand who whipped up a crowd of Trump supporters at the January 6, 2021 “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the U.S. Capitol insurrection. “Today is the day that American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” Brooks said. But Trump withdrew the endorsement in March after their relationship soured. Trump cites Brooks’ languishing performance and accused the conservative congressman of going “woke” for saying it was time to move on from the 2020 presidential outcome and focus on upcoming elections. Brooks said Trump was trying to get him to illegally rescind the election. Trump has not made a new endorsement in the race. Both Durant and Britt have maintained they are the superior choice for Trump’s backing if the race goes to a runoff. At a speech in Phenix City, a town in the shadow of the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning, Durant pitched himself as the outsider in the race. He began a speech by describing his combat service — which included not just Somalia but Desert Storm and missions in Panama — and then working in the defense industry and founding an aerospace company. “I’m not a politician,” Durant said. “That is what people are tired of. That’s why people want outsiders. That is why people want straight shooters.” Durant said his military experience separates him from those in Washington who “don’t know what they’re talking about” when discussing deploying troops. “This is serious business. We don’t deploy troops, we don’t get in skirmishes, we don’t try to do nation-building unless we truly understand the commitment that we’re about to make, not only financially, but the lives of young men and women, our national credibility, all those things that are on the line.” Durant, a helicopter pilot who was held prisoner after being shot down, is seeking the endorsement of Trump, who once disputed that Sen. John McCain was a war hero because he was held as a POW. “I like people that weren’t captured,” Trump said in 2015. Asked about that, Durant said he thought the divisions between the two were “based on politics, not based on service.” Both Britt and Brooks have criticized Durant for “dodging debates” after his campaign declined three separate dates offered by the Alabama Republican Party. Durant said he is willing to debate but could not make it fit his schedule. Outside groups have pumped more than $20 million into the race to either support or oppose one of the frontrunners. The Super PACS have been responsible for many of the attack ads in the race. Alabama Patriots PAC spent $4 million to support Durant after receiving money from America’s Project, a Virginia-based PAC associated with Jacob Harriman,
Jessica Taylor: Don’t be fooled
The way I see it, the race for U.S. Senate will come down to the classic matchup: outsider versus establishment insider – us versus them. We have seen the political insiders and country club communities across Alabama coalesce like never before around mad mama candidate Katie Boyd Britt. The sheer volume of PAC dollars supporting her candidacy is mind-blowing. Over $10M was spent attacking Mike Durant. Watching them use their money and political crony networks to successfully manipulate the image of an American hero and successful businessman Mike Durant has been nothing short of campaign mastercraft, and it disgusts me. Do not let them fool you. I was and remain committed to making sure the next senator from our great state is not part of the establishment. They are the problem. They are the reason Alabama is last in the country by most standards. Even when Republicans had control of the House and Senate, they did nothing to reduce the size of the federal government and reverse our ill-fated course. Republican leadership has failed us. They are losing the battle to restore fiscal conservatism and small government principles. They go along to get along to stay in power and help their cronies prosper. Spineless, weak-kneed, establishment Republicans have allowed liberals to take control, and they are rapidly destroying our economy and clawing away at our freedoms. Katie Boyd Britt is the most establishment-backed candidate we have ever seen, and she is neither a conservative nor a fighter. Ask yourself why the people responsible for this mess want her elected so badly. The answer is clear; it’s because they want the status quo. It has served them well. Unlike lobbyist Katie Boyd Britt, Mike Durant is a fighter. He is tested and proven. He put his life on the line to fight for our country. For our freedom. Mike spent 11 days as a prisoner of war after his Black Hawk helicopter was shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. After being tortured and held captive, he still served out his term in the military before settling down in Huntsville, Alabama, where he built a successful business from the ground up and raised six kids. Mike has had two successful careers, while Katie has had one – serving politicians. She has been moved from job to job, not based on her accomplishments, but because the powers that be have been grooming her to replace Richard Shelby since her college years. I’ve watched it happen. I attended the University of Alabama when Katie was crowned SGA president by the machine. Since then, and especially during my 15 years of working in Montgomery, I have seen more instances than I can count of her lobbyist and insider cronies manipulating candidates and votes. They think they are in control, and truth be told, they have been. But I’ve had enough of their backroom deals and incompetence. We cannot let the establishment candidate be crowned our next senator. Someone brought up and trained in the ways of the Swamp won’t know how to drain it. Plus, someone who has spent her whole life trying to climb the political ladder is immediately suspect in my eyes. We also know for certain Katie Boyd Britt isn’t a fighter for conservative values. She says she will fight in her campaign ads and talks about the issues her high-dollar pollsters tell her are important to conservatives, but she has a pattern and practice of not fighting for those very issues when given the chance. She says she will fight for life. Yet, she didn’t use her veto power as SGA president to do so, though she used the power two weeks later related to a parking matter. She says she is anti-big government and a fiscal conservative, but she promoted Common Core and advocated for the gas tax increase during her time as head of the Business Council of Alabama. She says she supports Veterans and mental health but declined to stand up for both when her Democrat surrogate, Parker Griffith, diagnosed Mike Durant with PTSD. Katie says she’s a fighter, but her actions show different. She is not a principled conservative; she is a polished establishment puppet. Attempting to paint her as a fighter or a conservative is more of the same campaign mastercraft mentioned above. Don’t fall for it. The well-funded super PACs supporting Katie have blanketed the state with mailers designed to subtly shift your impression of Mike. They say Mike doesn’t live in Alabama and that he hasn’t been campaigning. Both are lies. Mike has lived in Alabama over 20 years. He still has a child in high school in Madison County. As for campaigning, check out his social media accounts. He is on the ground working as hard as any candidate in the race. They said Mike doesn’t support the Second Amendment because of a dismissive sidebar comment made while speaking to the Army War College about military tactics to disarm a community. Mike has spent more time with firearms than all his opponents combined. No one in this race knows the importance of the Second Amendment more than Mike Durant. He risked his life to protect our right to bear arms. He owns over 20 guns, including an AK-47 and AR-15, and he won’t let anyone take them. They said Mike isn’t tough on immigration. Mike Durant is the strongest candidate on border security in this race. Mike knows that President Donald Trump was right: They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. And we stop it all by building the wall. They said Mike is backed by liberals. Mike’s disdain for liberals is clear every time you hear him speak. He wouldn’t accept their money, unlike Katie Boyd Britt. Mike Durant’s biggest donor is Mike Durant! Like President Trump and Coach Tommy Tuberville, he can’t be bought by anyone. Mike’s only priority is to serve the people of Alabama. That’s it. Let’s give Mike Durant a third tour of duty. He
Danny Garrett: Katie Britt is the best choice for Alabama
President Ronald Reagan was an iconic conservative politician. He was also an effective statesman and leader. Reagan’s conservatism was comprised of eleven principles: Freedom. Faith. Family. Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life. American Exceptionalism. The Founders’ Wisdom and Vision. Lower Taxes. Limited Government. Peace Through Strength. Anti-Communism. Belief in the Individual. Reagan’s conservative principles reflect the values held today by most Alabamians. In November, Alabama Republicans will select as our next Senator – either Katie Britt, Mo Brooks, or Mike Durant, who are all claiming a conservative platform and message. But which candidate is the best choice for Alabama? My analysis of the upcoming Senate race leads me to confidently conclude that Katie Britt is clearly the best choice for Alabama. Katie Britt is the only candidate who was born in Alabama, raised in Alabama, and educated in Alabama. Likewise, her husband and his family have deep Alabama roots. Katie’s story is a testimony to the fact that hard work and perseverance are important values and keys to success – traits I think are especially important for younger generations to embrace. Raised in Enterprise by parents who were small business owners, Katie worked in the family business at an early age and continued working for small businesses to help pay her college tuition. After graduating from the University of Alabama, she worked in Washington, D.C. for about two years on the staff of Senator Richard Shelby, one of the longest-serving and most effective members of Congress. In 2007, she returned to the University of Alabama to serve as special assistant to the President, after which she earned a law degree from the University. In 2016, Sen. Shelby called her back to D.C. – this time to serve as Chief of Staff for a little over two years. In 2018, Katie was selected as President and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, an organization that had fallen upon hard times and needed a strong leader to resolve a myriad of issues. Katie assembled an impressive team that (1) reunited opposing factions within the organization; (2) significantly grew BCA’s membership; (3) increased recruitment and participation of small businesses in the BCA; and (4) restored the BCA to a strong financial position through fiscally conservative budgeting practices. For Katie to have earned the respect, cooperation, and confidence of powerful and influential leaders of both Alabama’s largest employers and small business owners is a remarkable accomplishment. Her leadership skills and her BCA experience demonstrate her potential to work with other members of Congress and be an effective Senator. In 2020, Katie was instrumental in helping develop reopening plans for small businesses in Alabama that had been shut down by the Governor’s COVID Executive Orders. Throughout her career, Katie has repeatedly demonstrated the tenacity needed to tackle hard tasks as well as an exceptional ability to work with others to achieve outstanding results. Her staunch advocacy for small businesses and hardworking Alabamians during the pandemic was vitally important, including her launch of the Keep Alabama Open movement. Second, Katie’s views and political associations are solidly conservative. As Sen. Shelby’s Chief of Staff, she joined the fight for President Donald Trump’s tax cuts, blocking excessive Federal regulations, confirming conservative judicial nominees, helping to secure the border, and standing up for the values held by most Alabamians. During his presidency, Alabama’s Senate and House delegation membersconsistently supported President Trump’s legislative agenda and judicial nominations. In fact, Sen. Shelby’s votes aligned with President Trump’s position 90.7% of the time, more than Congressman Brooks’ percentage of 88.6%. As Senator, Katie will join her Alabama Republican colleagues in Washington, D.C. to continue supporting and advancing conservative legislation while representing the values of the vast majority of Alabamians. Katie is a proven fighter, but she does more than just fight – her fighting produces results. Her impressive work record and achievements demonstrate her ability to lead, collaborate and successfully build consensus around good ideas. During her time with Sen. Shelby, she gained valuable experience working with multiple administrations to hone and develop these skills. Congressman Brooks has been elected to Congress six times by voters of the 5th Congressional District. During his tenure, he has co-sponsored many pieces of legislation. However, he has only sponsored one bill that passed into law: H.R. 6513, renaming a post office in Athens, Alabama. Durant has a distinguished military and government contracting career, but he lacks legislative experience and does not have a public record to adequately assess how he might perform as a Senator. The fact is, we just don’t know Mike Durant. Katie’s success in turning around the BCA convinces me that leadership is a strength that sets her apart from her competitors. I am convinced Katie will not only fight for conservative values and causes, but she will motivate colleagues and work with others in the Senate to build consensus and be a driving force for enacting conservative legislation that reflect the values and views of the majority of Alabamians. Finally, the U.S. Senate is a body where seniority is extremely important. Committee appointments, financial appropriations, judicial confirmations, and the ability to influence legislation are heavily dependent upon tenure. Sen. Shelby’s 36-year tenure has been extremely beneficial for Alabama, especially in his current role as top Republican on the powerful Appropriations Committee. However, upon his retirement, the next Alabama senator will be positioned at the bottom of the seniority list. Alabama’s delegation lost seniority in 2017 when Sen. Sessions resigned to become the U.S. Attorney General. Age alone is not the determinant of fitness for office, nor should it be in choosing our next Senator. However, the Senate seniority structure is an important consideration. Senator Tommy Tuberville is 68 years old. Congressman Brooks is 67. Mike Durant is 60. Katie Britt is 40. Alabama’s seniority in the Senate has the potential to be an ongoing issue for several election cycles. Katie is the best choice for Alabama to have the opportunity to retain leadership in the U.S. Senate for
Paul DeMarco: Alabama Republican party primary Senate contest a close one down to the wire
After months of crisscrossing the state, the candidates are down to their last days of campaigning before the May 24th Alabama party primaries. This has been another interesting election season with topsy turvy races up and down the ballot, but probably none more than the race for the United States Senate Republican Party Primary. Recent polling has now shown three lead changes in these candidates’ efforts to replace Senator Richard Shelby. First, Congressman Mo Brooks lead the race with the backing of former President Donald Trump. Then upstart Mike Durant took the lead with this strong military background and thousands of dollars in television advertisements. Now recent polls have shown Katie Britt has taken the lead in the Senate race. There is no question there will be a run-off in this race. It appears Britt will get the votes to move forward, but whether it will be Brooks or Durant is up for grabs. We will know next week who those two final candidates will be as we approach the finish line for the nomination. Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives.
Steve Flowers: Senate race down to the wire
The GOP Primary is less than two weeks away on May 24. It has been an interesting and expensive race to fill the seat of our venerable and powerful senior Senator Richard Shelby. There are three major primary contestants. Katie Britt, Mike Durant, and Mo Brooks are the horses or, as some might say, combatants, given the nature of the prevalence of negative advertising. Two of these three gladiators will be the recipient of the most votes on that momentous day and will face off in a runoff set for six weeks later on June 21. The winner of that June 21 runoff will be our next U.S. Senator. Winning the GOP Primary is tantamount to election for a statewide office in the Heart of Dixie, especially for a U.S. Senate Race. This race will probably wind up being the most expensive race in Alabama political history, especially when you add up the third-party expenditures. In modern-day national politics, a candidate’s individual war chest is not the telling story. We live in a world of third-party political action committees (PACs). These third-party PACs, based out of Washington, have spent more on their preferred candidate than has been spent directly by the candidates’ campaigns. These PACs are not supposed to coordinate with their preferred candidate, but they do. They share all information and polling and script their attack ads based on what they think you want to hear. These innocuous PACs have the meanest hired guns, who relish negative ads and seek to destroy their opposition. Why? Because negative ads work. The other political adage that has never changed is that money is the mother’s milk of politics. These three candidates possess or have received plenty of campaign resources, mostly from out of state. Allow me to summarize the top three U.S. Senate candidates, as well as their benefactors, their positions, and potential. Mo Brooks is backed by the Club for Growth. This group of very rich folks want less government and free trade with China. They and Mo Brooks are made for each other. They have been tied to the hip during Mo’s entire 11-year career in Congress. They want a senator who will have total disregard for their state or district and have total allegiance to their laissez-faire pro-China trade agenda. That is why Mo has voted against the needs of his district and Alabama. He has actually voted against agriculture and military defense spending, which are the mainstays of Alabama. Mo has dropped dramatically in the polls since the race began this time last year. He will now probably finish a distant third. When the race first began, and it looked like Brooks might be a player, the popular, wise, and witty Republican Senator from Louisiana, John Kennedy, quipped, “A senate seat is a terrible thing to waste.” The runoff will probably be a Mike Durant and Katie Britt contest. Mike Durant has been the wild card in this race, who nobody saw coming, but he is a perfect prototype for winning an open U.S. Senate seat, especially in a pro-military state like Alabama. Durant is a war hero, a POW, and started his own military defense business. He has spent some of his own money but has been extensively backed by a national liberal group called the “More Perfect Union PAC.” The founder and major benefactor, Jake Harriman, is striving to elect more moderates, including Democrats and Republicans. This PAC wants “Republicans in Name Only” (RINOs). Therefore, RINO probably is the more accurate description of Durant. Durant is a phantom candidate who has run primarily a media campaign revealing he was shot down as a helicopter pilot over 40 years ago. If the term carpetbagger ever applied in modern-day Alabama politics, it applies to Durant. He has barely campaigned in Alabama, and he probably knows very few Alabamians. He hails from New Hampshire but prefers his palatial home in Colorado. A vote for Durant is like a pig in a poke; you do not know what you will be getting. However, you would be getting a person who decided he wanted to be a United States Senator but does not care what state you put behind his name: New Hampshire, Colorado, or Alabama. With Durant running a slick television-only campaign and not discussing issues, nobody knows where he stands on important issues. The one group that is extremely skeptical and apprehensive of him is the second amendment gun-owning NRA members of our state. Katie Britt is the mainstream conservative, pro-business candidate that understands Alabama and our needs. Most of her campaign contributions have come from Alabamians. In fact, she is the only real Alabamian in the race. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Paul DeMarco: Candidate debate unlikely in Alabama high profile races as Primary day nears
Alabama voters are trying to sort out who they are going to support in the next four weeks as we approach the upcoming primary elections in our state. The two high profile races in the state are that for Governor and the United States Senate. And usually by this late in the campaigns, we would see a debate on a stage to allow the voters to evaluate the candidates to determine who they will get behind. But both front runners in these two races have made it clear they do not intend to participate in any debates as we approach election day. Neither Governor Kay Ivey nor Mike Durant who have the lead in their respective elections according to polling must believe a debate with their opponents is not the right move. The other candidates asked for a debate with the front runners, but it does not appear it will happen. As we approach the finish line for the Republican Primary, the lack of debates should not surprise us as we have seen it in the past. We will see if voters care either as the May 24th election day is upon us. Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives.
Mo Brooks: Steve Flowers, master deceiver
I have known Katie Britt, surrogate and “former” liberal Democrat Steve Flowers, for many decades. Flowers’ columns repeatedly attack Mike Durant and me or promote Katie Britt (the largest tax increase supporter of any Republican in Alabama history). Flowers argues in his Katie Britt attack piece, “A Mo Brooks Story,” that I “truly believe in less government even if that means cutting your district’s or state’s throat.” Flowers attack is 100% pure bovine excrement. While I believe a rising tide lifts all boats (and that a national bankruptcy sinks all boats), I challenge Flowers to name a part of Alabama that, during my Congressional tenure, has prospered better than the Tennessee Valley I represent. The Tennessee Valley’s prosperity is the exact opposite of Flowers’ claimed “least effective Congressman” image. Flowers falsely claims I “served one four-year term in the Alabama House and left in 1986”. The Alabama Secretary of State’s election records say different. I was elected to the legislature four times, with winning percentages of 57% (despite Democrats rigging 25% of the District’s voting machines to register votes for all candidates on the ballot – except Mo Brooks), 82%, 73%, and 100%. Flowers falsely claims I sat on the back row while a legislator. Not that it makes any difference (because someone has to sit on back rows), I never sat on a back row while a legislator. I am baffled why Flowers makes up such a silly thing. Flowers falsely claims “they cut [my] microphone off.” Wrong again. When the House sat in the old Capitol, no legislator had a microphone to cut off. When the legislature moved to the State House, the Speaker recognized me frequently and never cut me off while I addressed the House. Flowers falsely claims I was “relegated to not having any power,” which begs the question of why, then, did Alabama Magazine rank Mo Brooks one of the legislature’s Top 25 most effective legislators? Or why, if I was so ineffective, did I get elected House Republican Caucus Chair three different times? Flowers falsely claims that, while I was a Madison County Commissioner, “every vote during that time was five yes and one no,” and the one “no” vote was always me. Flowers fabricates yet another yarn with no supporting evidence. Why? Perhaps because telling the truth does not fit Flowers’ Katie Britt surrogate role. Flowers falsely claims Mo Brooks has “never passed a bill nor ever accomplished anything.” Flowers’ statement is 100% false (both with respect to the legislature and to Congress). Further, in Congress, there is more than one way to get the job done, and on 100+ occasions, I have successfully worked to get my legislative language embodied in other bills that passed Congress and became law. I also single-handedly killed illegal alien amnesty and citizenship for two years and led the fight in Congress against 2020 voter fraud and election theft. The most important thing a representative does is vote. In that vein, the Alabama Taxpayers Defense Fund ranked me #1 out of 140 legislators in the fight against higher taxes and, in Congress, my 11-year voting record is graded an “A+” on border security by NumbersUSA; “A” on the Right to Bear Arms by NRA and Gun Owners of America; “A” on abortion by National Right to Life; and near the top on national defense, conservative and moral values, free enterprise, and foundational principles by the National Taxpayers Union, American Conservative Union and Heritage Action. The Alabama citizens I represent best rebut Flowers’ deceits. I was the first Republican in history elected in Alabama House Districts 18 and 10. In 2010, I was the first Republican elected in the Tennessee Valley’s Congressional District in 136 years (despite being outspent $2.5 million to $160,000). Not once has a challenger in my 11 reelection efforts (as a legislator, commissioner, or Congressman) broken the 38% mark in a primary or general election. Stated differently, the people I represent have reelected me with an average 78% reelection percentage. That is a job well-done in anyone’s book, and an honorable Steve Flowers would say so. Mo Brooks is a U.S. Representative for Alabama’s 5th district and is currently running for U.S. Senate.
Katie Britt, Mo Brooks challenge Mike Durant to debate in U.S. Senate race
U.S. Senate candidates Katie Britt and Rep. Mo Brooks this week challenged GOP primary rival Mike Durant to debate them ahead of next month’s primary. “I’ve agreed to multiple proposed debates between myself, Mike Durant, and Mo Brooks. Congressman Brooks, to his credit, has also agreed. Why won’t Mr. Durant?” Britt wrote on Twitter this week. Durant campaign adviser Scott Stone maintained Thursday afternoon that “Mike is not refusing to debate anyone.” In an email he added that “Mike is busy traveling the state, talking with voters building the wall, ensuring election integrity, and defending the 2nd Amendment. Like Coach [Tommy] Tuberville, Mike is focused on meeting with voters, not playing political games with career politicians.” The GOP primary in the conservative state will likely decide who succeeds GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, who is retiring. The three Republicans are considered frontrunners in next month’s GOP primary for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Richard Shelby. Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl said the party offered to host a Senate debate as a resource to GOP voters and to the candidates ahead of the May 24 primary. He said they had floated several possible dates to the campaigns. “Mo Brooks agreed to participate. Mike Durant could not work it out, and Katie Britt basically said if Mike Durant can’t make it, she was not interested,” Wahl said. Wahl said it is “unlikely at this point” that the debate will happen. Durant is a businessman best known as the helicopter pilot shot down and held prisoner in the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” incident. Britt is Shelby’s former chief of staff and the former head of a state business group. Brooks represents Alabama’s 5th Congressional District after first being elected in 2010. Brooks, who voted against certifying President Joe Biden’s election win, was initially endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Trump rescinded the endorsement last month. “There are multiple open-ended debate offers from groups throughout the state that are willing to be flexible to accommodate Mike Durant. If he actually was willing to debate, he would be willing to make one of those opportunities work,” Brooks campaign spokesman Will Hampson said Thursday. The Britt campaign echoed that sentiment and a spokesman said that they are “100% in for a three-person debate.” “No one knows what Mike Durant really believes, because he is hiding from debates, forums, the media, and questions from voters on the campaign trail … The only logical conclusion is that the character Mike Durant plays on TV doesn’t match the person he is in real life,” Sean Ross wrote in an emailed statement. It is not unusual for safe incumbents to refuse to debate, believing they have nothing to gain. but much to risk, by putting themselves on a debate stage. Shelby refused to debate a primary challenger in 2016, a decision Britt, as his then-campaign spokeswoman, defended by saying Shelby had a record that was already well known to state voters. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey in 2018 did not debate primary challengers or Democratic challenger Walt Maddox. Steve Flowers, a political commentator, said this is different in that it is an open seat with no incumbent for the powerful office. He said Durant appears to be trying to “run out the clock” and run a race that depends mostly on television advertising. “I call him a phantom candidate,” said Flowers. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Steve Flowers: Who is Mike Durant?
Many of you have asked the question, “Have you ever seen anyone simply run a media-only campaign and avoid campaigning like Mike Durant has done in this year’s U.S. Senate campaign.” Surprisingly my answer for many of you is, “Yes, I have.” Ironically, the man that Richard Shelby beat for this U.S. Senate seat 36 years ago, Jeremiah Denton, was almost a carbon copy of Mike Durant. Denton was a POW/national war hero of the Vietnam era. Like Durant, Denton had very distant ties to and knowledge of Alabama. They were both National War/POW celebrities who wanted to be a United States Senator from whichever state was convenient. Alabama had an open seat for the Senate in 1980. Denton called Mobile home but had not lived there since he was a boy. His father was a Naval officer, and Jeremiah followed suit and went to the Naval Academy and became a navy officer and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. When the race began, Denton was basically living in the Washington D.C. area. Alabama had not had a Republican senator since Reconstruction over 100 years earlier. The Republicans recruited Denton to break the barrier. Denton really did no personal campaigning in Alabama. He was a short-tempered military man whose personality had been even more exacerbated by seven years and seven months of captivity by barbaric Vietnamese. Denton was swept into office in 1980 in the Ronald Reagan Republican landslide. He never aspired to go into politics. He only wanted to be a good soldier. After his release from captivity, he came back to a hero’s welcome. Denton became Alabama’s first Republican and Catholic Senator and never really campaigned. Denton became Alabama’s least effective and insignificant senator in our state’s history. He only served one six-year term, 1980-1986. During that one term, he never came to Alabama, never returned a phone call, and never responded to any letters. He began his career by announcing he was a United States Senator and not the Junior Senator from Alabama. He said his role was bigger than just taking care of mundane, senatorial duties and “kissing babies’ butts.” Thus, he immediately forewarned Alabamians that for the next six years, we would only have one U.S. Senator – the country would be blessed with our other senate seat. Mike Durant is amazingly similar, almost a clone to Jeremiah Benton. Unlike Denton, who was born in Mobile, Durant was born and spent his entire formulative years in New Hampshire. Like Denton, Durant’s father was a military man. Mike Durant followed his father. As is well known, Durant was shot down and captured, and made a prisoner of war for 11 days. Durant’s life is really a mystery after that point. He calls Huntsville his home, and he has had a military defense company in Huntsville, which made him very wealthy through federal defense dollars. Durant’s being an Alabamian or Huntsvillian has come into question. Nobody seems to know him in Huntsville, much less the rest of the state. Speculation is that he lives in Maryland, and he also has a very expensive home in Colorado. If he were to be elected to Alabama’s Senate seat, he would probably go home to Maryland. Durant would not only be a phantom Senate candidate, but he would also be our phantom senator. Durant has only voted in a Republican primary in Alabama one time in his life, and that was in 2008. That means one of three things about him: (1) he is not a Republican, (2) he is not an Alabamian, or (3) he is not a Republican or an Alabamian. The only thing we do know about Durant is that he was born and raised in New Hampshire. Where I come from in Alabama, that would make him what we call a carpetbagger. A carpetbagger who refuses to meet or ask any Alabamians for their vote. The only thing we know about him is that he can fly around in a helicopter, and he can afford to buy a lot of television ads. Guess he thinks we are dumb enough to fall for that pig in a poke, or he might find that after a while, we will wake up and realize that Emperor has no clothes. Durant makes no pretense about the fact that he will not personally campaign in Alabama or even do interviews. You can bet your bottom dollar that wherever you live in Alabama, Durant has not been to your town or city and probably could not even tell you where it is located. You can rest assured that he does not know the difference between the Wiregrass and Sand Mountain. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Katie Britt releases new campaign ad showing Second Amendment support
Republican Katie Britt announced that her campaign has released a new ad in her 2022 bid to serve as Alabama’s next U.S. Senator. Britt, the former chief of staff for the retiring Senator Richard Shelby, is in a close race with Mo Brooks and Mike Durant. The hotly contested Senate seat should have seemingly gone to Brooks, who won the coveted Donald Trump endorsement early on. However, the former president revoked his endorsement of Brooks in March. The ad, entitled “Shoot Straight,” is a 30-second spot that highlights Britt’s staunch support of the Second Amendment. “I’m Katie Britt. Growing up in the Wiregrass, I learned to respect our Second Amendment and always shoot straight,” Britt says in the ad. “As Alabama’s next Senator, I’ll stop Joe Biden’s radical agenda dead in its tracks: reckless spending, job-killing tax hikes, runaway inflation, vaccine mandates, open borders for illegal immigrants, and abortion on demand. I approve this message because I am ready to take on Joe Biden.” “The Second Amendment is a critical check against the timeless tyranny of government,” stated Britt in a press release. “Our Founders wisely knew that the Second Amendment will always be necessary to protect our God-given, inalienable right to defend ourselves, our families, our freedom, our homes, and our communities. As the Biden Administration continues to put law-abiding, hardworking Americans in their crosshairs, we must stand firm and preserve the country we know and love for our children and our children’s children. In the Senate, I will always fight to defend our Second Amendment rights and our Christian conservative values.” Britt is a first-time candidate who has spent most of her career in the private sector, including fighting for small and rural businesses as president and CEO of Alabama’s business council and practicing law. She is a native of Coffee County and now lives in Montgomery with her husband and their two children. According to Emerson College Polling in late March, Durant is currently leading in the Republican Primary with 33%, followed by Britt with 23%, and Brooks with 12%. No other candidate reached double digits. Twenty-six percent of voters are undecided.
Steve Flowers: Congressional lines and Congressmen will remain the same
For several years leading up to the 2010 Census count, the national projections were that Alabama would lose one of our seven congressional districts and drop to six. When the count was taken, we surprised ourselves and the nation and kept our seven seats in the United States Congress. Therefore, the legislature’s task in drawing our seven congressional districts was relatively easy. Except for some tweaking here and there due to growth in Madison, Limestone, Lee, Shelby, and especially Baldwin counties, and the loss of population in the Black Belt, our congressional district lines were kept basically the same as they have been for the past few decades. We essentially have six of our seven districts that are safe Republican seats. We have one dedicated majority minority African American Democratic Congressional District. That Democratic seat is held by Congresswoman Terri Sewell. She has been in that seat for over a decade and has become a respected leader in the Democratic House leadership. The Democrats are in the majority, which makes her a powerful member of the House. However, most political experts and polling indicate that this year’s election will bring a swing of 30 or more Republican seat pickups or takeovers, thus making the Republicans the majority party. This will be beneficial for Alabama since six of our seven seats are held by Republicans. It will be particularly beneficial to folks in the fourth district, who have Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) as their Congressman. Aderholt is the most senior member of our delegation and is the ranking Republican on the House Appropriation Committee. Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Anniston) is also gaining ground in seniority. He is a ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. Congressman Gary Palmer (R-Jefferson) represents the suburban areas of metro-Jefferson, Hoover, and Shelby. It is considered one of the most Republican House districts in America. We have two freshmen Republican Congressmen who are finishing their first two years in the House. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) represents the coastal first district of basically Mobile and Baldwin Counties. He has taken to Congress like a duck to water. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) represents the second district made up of the Wiregrass and the fast-growing Pike Road area of Montgomery, as well as the populous counties of Autauga and Elmore. All six of the aforementioned incumbents will be reelected without opposition. The only excitement in Congressional politics in the Heart of Dixie will play out in the fifth district. This Huntsville-Tennessee Valley seat is currently held by Mo Brooks, who has opted to run for the U.S. Senate, thus leaving a seldom seen open congressional seat contest. There are six Republicans vying for this open fifth district seat. The contestants are Dale Strong, Paul Sanford, Casey Wardynski, Harrison Wright, Andy Blalock, and John Roberts. Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong appears to be the strongest candidate. He is far outdistancing the field in polling and fundraising. Some say that he could eclipse the field without a runoff. The most ardent challengers will be former State Senator Paul Sanford and former Huntsville City School Superintendent Casey Wardynski. Dr. Wardynski has done a good job fundraising. There will be a large turnout in this congressional race. In fact, this Huntsville-Madison-Limestone Tennessee Valley area of the state will more than likely have the largest percentage turnout in the state. Not only is there an open congressional seat, but Mo Brooks is the local candidate for the open U.S. Senate Seat, and popular, incumbent Republican state school board member, Wayne Reynolds, will also be on the ballot with token opposition. In addition, the only hotly contested Republican State Senate race between Tom Butler and Bill Holtzclaw is in the Madison-Limestone area. There are also three open hotly contested State House races, including filling the seats of Speaker Mac McCutcheon and veteran House member Howard Sanderford. There is also a hotly contested open sheriff’s race in Limestone County. Furthermore, the phantom candidate for the U.S. Senate, Mike Durant, claims Huntsville as his home. All of these ingredients are a recipe for a larger turnout in the Tennessee Valley than the rest of the state on May 24. The Congressional lines and six of seven congressmen will remain the same for this 2022 election cycle. However, hold the phone. The federal courts could change that for 2024. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
New polling shows Mike Durant ahead of Katie Britt in Senate race; Mo Brooks falls into third place
According to new Emerson College Polling, Mike Durant is currently leading in the Republican Primary with 33%, followed by Katie Britt with 23%, and Mo Brooks with 12%. No other candidate reached double digits. Twenty-six percent of voters are undecided. In the race to fill the Senate seat left by retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, the majority of voters (52%) indicate that they’re more likely to support a candidate if they are endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Last week, Trump rescinded his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks in a significant blow to the congressman’s campaign. Trump cited Brooks’ performance in the race, poor campaign staffing, and what Trump saw as a softening of Brooks’ stance on election fraud claims. Trump said he will be making another endorsement announcement in the “near future.” Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling, noted, “while Durant holds a lead over Britt and Brooks in the primary, he is shy of the necessary 50% to avoid a runoff in June.” Kimball continued, “Whether Durant or Britt clinches the nomination might depend on who former President Trump chooses to endorse. Among the 26% of Republican primary voters who are undecided, 60% are more likely to vote for a candidate if Trump endorses them.” Additionally, the poll indicated that 52% of Alabama primary voters approve of the job Kay Ivey is doing as governor, while 33% disapprove. Ivey holds 48% of support in the Republican gubernatorial primary, followed by Tim James with 11% and Lindy Blanchard with 8%. Twenty-two percent of Republican voters are undecided. The Emerson College/The Hill Alabama poll was conducted March 25-27, 2022.
