Steve Flowers: Congressional delegation reelected in November
Our Alabama Congressional delegation will all be reelected next month, as usual. We are no different than any other state when it comes to the incumbency advantage of being a congressperson. When someone is elected to the U.S. Congress, they are usually there for life unless they run for higher office. They probably would not be defeated unless they killed someone, and that probably would not be enough. It would probably depend on who they killed. The Congress is so divided and acrimonious along party lines that if they killed another member of Congress from a different party, it would probably help them and enshrine them in their seat for life. The reelection rate for members of the U.S. Congress is over 93%. That is similar to the Communist Russian Politburo. Our Congress is more akin to the British parliament, where they quasi-own their seat. Our delegation will have one new member. Dale Strong will take the Republican seat of Mo Brooks in the 5th District, Huntsville-Tennessee Valley area. He started early and stayed late. He began the campaign as the favorite and remained the frontrunner throughout the two-year campaign to capture the open seat. Strong has been a popular chairman of the Madison County Commission. He is a native Huntsvillian and was even educated grade school through college in the Madison County area. He was backed strongly by the Huntsville/Madison business community. They realize the importance of having a pragmatic, pro-business conservative who will be a GOP team player in Washington. It is imperative for the Redstone Arsenal to have a workhorse in that seat. They will miss Richard Shelby, who has done all the heavy lifting for federal growth. They are glad and fortunate to swap Mo Brooks for Dale Strong. Strong is relatively young and will probably be a long-termer. Jerry Carl will be reelected to his first district Mobile/Baldwin GOP Seat next month. He has taken to Congress like a duck to water. He also has long-term workhorse written all over him. Barry Moore will be reelected to his second term as the congressman from the 2nd District, which encompasses the Wiregrass and east Montgomery. It is a very Republican district. Mike Rogers of Anniston will be reelected to his eleventh term in November. He is gaining seniority and power. If the GOP takes over control of the U.S. House, as is expected next month, he is in line to possibly be chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Robert Aderholt of the 4th District is the dean of the delegation, thus under the entrenched seniority system, he is our most powerful Congressman. Aderholt got to Congress at a very early age. He will be reelected to his 14th two-year term. He serves on the important and prestigious Appropriations Committee. Gary Palmer will begin his fourth term representing the Jefferson/Hoover/Shelby GOP district. Gary is a policy and issues guy. The GOP leadership recognized this early, and he has advanced as a policy leader in the House. The lone Democrat in our delegation is Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Birmingham. She will be reelected to her seventh term in the U.S. House in a few weeks. She has emerged as a leader within the Democratic House Caucus. She is very well respected in Washington. She is a native of Selma and holds Ivy League undergraduate and law degrees. Hopefully, for Alabama, she is a long-timer. She has a large, sprawling district that covers most of Birmingham, Montgomery, and all of the Black Belt, including her hometown of Selma. Sewell, being the only African American Democrat in our seven-member Congressional district, is the subject of a case pending in the U.S. Supreme Court. Democratic leaders contend that Alabama could and should have two majority-minority districts in the state rather than one. The argument is that Sewell’s 7th District contains only 14% of the Black voters in the state. Alabama’s African American population is 27%. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, then our delegation may go from six Republicans and one Democrat to five Republicans and two Democrats. The two prominent, powerful, young African American mayors of Birmingham and Montgomery, Randall Woodfin and Steven Reed, would both be eyeing the new Democratic Congressional Seat. 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.
Gary Palmer & GOP Congressmen question Eagle Forum subpoena
Alabama’s Republican congressmen are looking for answers to a recent subpoena of The Eagle Forum of Alabama, Yellowhammer News reported. The Department of Justice is seeking information related to their promotion of the Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion And Protection Act. The bill bans gender-altering surgeries from being performed on minors. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey in April, and a lawsuit was filed in federal court three days later. A federal judge blocked part of the law that made it a felony to prescribe gender-affirming puberty blockers and hormones to transgender minors. The judge left in place a part of the law that banned gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors. He also left a provision that requires counselors and other school officials to tell parents if a minor discloses that they think they are transgender. The Eagle Forum has filed a motion to quash the subpoena. Their report states, “The DOJ subpoena is broad, intrusive, and meant to harass. It seeks 5 ½ years of information, including: all private communications with legislators or anyone else regarding VCAP; every note, meeting-minutes, letter, policy goals and strategy effort, speech, presentation materials, research, polling; drafts of the bill or its amendments (which can be found on the legislative website); and documents pertaining to publicly-posted social media and webpages, etc.” Leaders are questioning the DOJ’s motivation for the subpoena because the Eagle Forum is not named in the lawsuit. U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer sent a letter to the DOJ and Attorney General Merrick Garland. Reps. Jerry Carl, Barry Moore, Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, and Mike Rogers all signed the letter. Palmer issued a press release, stating, “Eagle Forum of Alabama is an outstanding organization that represents the values of thousands of Alabamians. To have their first amendment rights infringed upon by the Department of Justice is disrespectful to our Constitution. Constitutional protections should not be dictated by the political views of individuals in the White House or their appointees. “Attorney General Merrick Garland owes an explanation for the motives behind this aggressive action against an organization simply petitioning the government on an issue important to them.” Palmer stated on Facebook, “The DOJ is out of control and must answer for their unconstitutional actions. My Alabama Republican colleagues and I are supporting Eagle Forum and their right to petition the government.” Rep. Carl called the move an ‘attack.’ “The Department of Justice’s decision to target the Eagle Forum of Alabama is nothing more than a partisan attack against a conservative organization simply because of their political views,” stated Carl. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in this effort demanding answers from Attorney General Merrick Garland as to why the DOJ is attacking private citizens for exercising their First Amendment rights.” Rep. Aderholt called the subpoena an attempt to intimidate Americans. “As Americans, we are protected by the First Amendment with the right to petition the government,” Aderholt stated. “This action by the U.S. government is a blatant attempt to intimidate citizens from participating in the legislative process. It is vitally important that we hear from the Department of Justice about why they took this action and get an explanation for this violation.” The letter states, “Constitutional protections cannot be eroded based on who occupies the White House or the political views of their appointees.”
Rep. Barry Moore calls on Lloyd Austin to end military vaccine mandate
Terri Sewell lone legislator to vote in support of Respect for Marriage Act
Six of the seven U.S. Representatives for Alabama are Republicans, so it is no surprise that all six voted against the latest bill to pass the House. The Respect for Marriage Act aims to repeal and replace laws that would outlaw same-sex or interracial marriage. The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved the legislation with 267 yeas and 157 nays. That means 47 Republicans — almost one-fifth of the GOP lawmakers — voted in favor of the bill. Rep. Terri Sewell was the lone Alabama leader who voted in support of the bill, while Congressmen Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Jerry Carl, Barry Moore, Gary Palmer, and Mike Rogers were nays. In 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was passed and signed into law by Bill Clinton. The bill defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. However, the Supreme Court ruled the laws unconstitutional in the cases of United States v. Windsor (2013) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). With the current conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court, and because that court has already reversed the controversial abortion rulings in Roe v. Wade, leaders are trying to protect other rights that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas already asked his colleagues to rule on. Thomas wrote that past rulings from the Court regarding gay rights and contraception rights should be reconsidered and that those rulings “were demonstrably erroneous decisions.” Justice Samuel Alito argued for a more narrow interpretation of the rights guaranteed to Americans, noting that the right to an abortion was not spelled out in the Constitution. The cases Thomas mentioned were Griswold vs. Connecticut, the 1965 ruling in which the Supreme Court said married couples have the right to obtain contraceptives; Lawrence v. Texas, which established the right to engage in private sexual acts; and the 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which ruled there is a right to same-sex marriage. “Today, I proudly voted to protect marriage equality in Alabama and across the country,” stated Rep. Sewell in a press release. “As the Supreme Court comes after our hard-fought personal liberties, right-wing extremists are now threatening to strip away Americans’ right to marry the person they love. With the Respect for Marriage Act, House Democrats are taking urgent action to enshrine marriage equality into federal law and prohibit states from discriminating against same-sex and interracial couples. We will not go back!” While Sewell described this legislation as needed and urgent, Rep. Moore disagreed, arguing that the court’s ruling on those issues were set precedent. “With inflation at a 41-year high, a new record for border crossings set in June at over 191,000, and violent crime plaguing the country, it is outrageous that Democrats are focused on unnecessary legislation that repeals a law struck down by the courts years ago,” said Moore in a press release. “Despite mischaracterizations Democrats are using to justify their urgency, the Supreme Court made it clear in Dobbs that their decision should not be used to cast doubt on precedents that have nothing to do with abortion.” The bill now heads to the Senate. .
Steve Flowers: Katie Britt won the Senate race the old-fashioned way
Katie Britt won the Republican Senate Primary the old-fashioned way. She got out and worked for it and earned it, and, folks, she won big. She beat Mo Brooks 63% to 37% in the GOP runoff. Katie carried an amazing 66 out of 67 counties. Katie Boyd Britt was born to win this Senate Seat at the youthful age of 40. Those of us around Alabama politics recognized early on that she had unique, God-given leadership abilities and integrity. We watched her grow up in Enterprise. She won everything in the Wiregrass, from Debate to Dance. When I saw her become Governor of Girls’ State as a junior in high school, I looked at Jack Hawkins, the Chancellor of Troy University, and said that young lady had governor or senator written all over her. Katie went on to the University of Alabama and was elected Student Government President; then she graduated from Law School at Alabama. She practiced law briefly and then became Senator Richard Shelby’s Chief of Staff for five years. She then headed the Business Council of Alabama for three years before beginning her journey to follow her mentor, Richard Shelby, in the U.S. Senate seat he has held for 36 years. Some of us who have known Shelby and been his friends and confidantes for over three decades were told soon after his sixth reelection victory in 2016 that these last six years would be his last hurrah. He told us he was going to encourage and support Katie Boyd Britt to succeed him. He wisely knew because of her age and acumen, she had the potential to be one of Alabama’s greatest senators. The seniority system in the United States Senate is so enshrined and entrenched that in order to be great, you have to serve awhile. In fact, in order to reach pinnacles of power in the senate, you have to be there at least 20 to 25 years. We have had three great senators in Alabama history. Senator Shelby is the most powerful and accomplished. The other two are Lister Hill and John Sparkman, who served Alabama in the U.S. Senate for 30 and 32 years, respectively. They were both powers. By the way, both Hill and Sparkman were SGA Presidents at the University of Alabama like Katie Boyd Britt. Katie is younger than Shelby, Hill, and Sparkman were when they arrived in the U.S. Senate. She will have the distinction of being the first female elected to the Senate from Alabama as well as the first female Republican Senator from the Heart of Dixie. There are several adages in politics that definitely apply to Katie’s overwhelming landslide victory. First of all, you do not ever want to get into a race where you are going to be outworked and outspent. She checked both boxes. She outspent her opponents significantly. Shelby made sure of that. Money is the mother’s milk of politics. More importantly, she worked this state like nobody’s business. She campaigned thoroughly in all 67 counties several times. It would be safe to say she outworked Mo Brooks and Mike Durant combined three to one. Katie built a statewide grassroots organization, and it paid off with her carrying 66 of our 67 counties. She started early and stayed late. Winning the GOP Primary for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama is tantamount to election. However, Katie Boyd Britt will take nothing for granted. She will run hard and outwork her Democratic opponent, Will Boyd, and will prevail as expected in November. The last-minute Trump endorsement had no effect on behalf of Katie Boyd Britt. She was leading in all polls by 20 points with momentum and money on her side. She was going to win, overwhelmingly, on her own. It helped Trump a lot more than it did Katie. All he did was see a candidate who was going to win and jumped on the train. Thus, Trump used the old sayings, “I bet on a sure thing,” and “find a parade and act like you are leading it.” Katie knew Trump’s endorsement was not necessary. However, she graciously and quietly accepted and continued unabated to an impressive victory, which she earned on her own merits. Katie Boyd Britt will hit the ground running when she takes office as our first female elected Senator in January. She could be in the Senate for 40 to 50 years and will become one of Alabama’s greatest U.S. Senators. See you next week. 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.
Mo Brooks agrees to appear before January 6 Committee, if terms met
On Thursday, Congressman Mo Brooks sent a letter to members of the committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Congressman Brooks said even though he has reservations about the Committee, he will voluntarily submit to a Committee deposition if certain requirements are met. According to the press release, Brooks is asking for the following terms: 1. Public Hearing. The deposition must be in public in a Capitol or House Office Building room of sufficient size and with sufficient resources to allow any interested media to attend and broadcast the event live, or otherwise transcribe and reveal (or play recordings of) the deposition. The Committee claims it is doing the public’s business. As such, the deposition should be in public. 2. January 6 Scope. The scope of deposition questions must be relevant to, and limited to, events surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. 3. Questions by Congressmen. Questions may only be asked by Congressmen who serve on the Committee (no questions by staffers or other non-Congressmen). If a deposition is important enough to demand the time of a Congressman who is deposed, then it is similarly important enough to also demand the time of Committee Congressmen. 4. Document Disclosure. The Committee’s subject matter occurred 17 to 19 months ago. Everyone’s memory fades, little by little, with the passage of time. If the Committee is going to ask questions about content of any prior statements, electronic communications, written communications, or the like, for which there is electronic or written documentation, that documentation must be submitted to Congressman Brooks’ office in the Rayburn House Office building a minimum of seven days before the deposition, so that Congressman Brooks can refresh his memory of its contents. 5. Deposition Date Options. Congressman Brooks’ deposition must be conducted on a day when recorded votes are taken on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, i.e., a day when Congressman Brooks is already in Washington, DC for votes. The January 6 committee held its fifth meeting today and focused on Donald Trump’s sweeping pressure campaign that targeted not only statewide election officials but also his own executive branch agencies. “I understand the Committee wishes to depose me concerning January 6 events and have heard rumor the Committee “issued” a subpoena for my appearance. I have on countless occasions been in public venues in Alabama, in my Congressional office, on the House Floor, and numerous places in between, yet no Committee subpoena has been served. That is puzzling,” Brooks stated. “Quite frankly, I don’t believe I have knowledge of January 6 events that are not already known or that add to what the Committee already knows. As the Committee knows, I have already made multiple, lengthy sworn statements in the Eric Swalwell lawsuit in federal court and made multiple, lengthy written and oral statements elsewhere. Presumably, the Committee has already obtained and reviewed these statements,” Brooks continued. Brooks concluded, “I will voluntarily appear before the Committee to give sworn testimony providing the five requirements mentioned above are met. However, if the Committee rejects these basic requirements, then I hereby incorporate by reference all objections of each Congressman who has objected to and contested Committee subpoenas and, by this letter, hereby assert those objections to this Committee should this Committee properly serve a subpoena on me.”
Takeaways: Donald Trump’s conditional loyalty, new warning for left
A Republican who was backed by Donald Trump at the last minute prevailed on Tuesday in an Alabama Senate runoff. But in neighboring Georgia, the former president’s losing streak deepened. Meanwhile, moderate Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser won her Democratic primary, offering a fresh warning to progressives. Takeaways from the latest round of midterm primary elections: LOYALTY RUNS ONE WAY Throughout his life in business, entertainment, and, eventually, politics, Trump demanded loyalty from those around him. And over the decades, he’s repeatedly shown that he’s less eager to return the favor. Rep. Mo Brooks, one of the former president’s most ardent defenders in Congress, felt the sting of that reminder on Tuesday when he lost a runoff for the GOP nomination for a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama. Trump initially backed Brooks but rescinded that endorsement after the campaign got off to a lackluster start. Then, less than two weeks before the runoff, Trump backed Katie Britt, a candidate more oriented toward the GOP establishment but someone whose victory seemed more assured. Britt is now the prohibitive favorite in the deep-red state to succeed retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, for whom she formerly worked. Her victory allows Trump to take credit for the win — even if he waited until the last minute to back her. And it reinforces that with Trump, loyalty often flows in one direction. On paper, Brooks checked all of the boxes that Trump looks for. He implored election deniers at a Washington rally before the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack to “start taking down names and kicking ass.” He voted in Congress against certifying President Joe Biden’s victory. And he’s remained a denier of the outcome of the 2020 election. But Brooks also landed in Trump’s bad graces after he said last August that it was time to move on from the 2020 presidential race and focus on upcoming elections. Trump pointed to those comments to accuse Brooks of being “woke,” a dangerous label in conservative circles. In focusing on adding to his roster of wins, Trump ultimately aligned himself with a candidate who, while deeply conservative, is backed by the GOP establishment the former president has railed against for years. The irony was not lost on Brooks, someone so dedicated to Trump’s agenda that he has called himself “MAGA Mo.” “We are sending to Washington, D.C., the exact opposite of what we need in the United States Senate. But the voters have spoken,” he said in a concession speech. “They might not have spoken wisely.” TRUMP WENT DOWN IN GEORGIA Trump extended his losing streak in Georgia on Tuesday after two U.S. House candidates he endorsed were blown out in runoff primary elections that represented a continuation of the drubbing he received in the state last month. Vernon Jones, a former liberal Democrat turned MAGA warrior, was crushed by trucking company owner Mike Collins, while Jake Evans also lost in dramatic fashion to emergency room physician Rich McCormick. Georgia has been a fixation of Trump’s ever since he lost the 2020 election and mounted a pressure campaign to get Republican leaders in the state to overturn the results. When they rejected his efforts, Trump’s interests shifted to retribution. He recruited candidates to challenge Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, as well as GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s top elections official. Both incumbents prevailed. Trump’s meddling even went so far as to ask Jones, who initially ran for governor, to step aside for his handpicked candidate, former Sen. David Perdue, while offering his endorsement to Jones if he ran for an open House seat instead. Jones, the former executive of DeKalb County, took him up on that offer and declared himself the “Black Donald Trump!” while challenging his opponents to ”Bring it on, liars!” But Jones’ baggage, including accusations that he raped a woman in 2004, became a liability in the campaign. The woman dropped charges against Jones, but she never recanted. Jones said the sexual encounter was consensual. But Collins, whose late father represented Georgia in the U.S. House in the 1990s, handed out rape whistles to keep the allegation fresh. Meanwhile, in the other Atlanta area runoff, McCormick, the doctor, easily beat Trump-backed Jake Evans. McCormick’s name was already well known to many in the district after narrowly losing a high-profile 2020 House race to Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux. He was backed by the influential conservative group Club For Growth. WARNING FOR PROGRESSIVES In Washington, Bowser fended off a progressive rival in the city’s Democratic primary, overcoming a tough primary campaign that focused on rising crime. Her victory virtually guarantees that she will win a third consecutive term as mayor in the heavily Democratic city. The results could also be interpreted as the latest warning to progressives that voters in the party’s own base are wary of their criminal justice policies at a time of rising anxiety about public safety. Bowser defeated At-large Councilmember Robert White, who harshly criticized her response to spiraling violent crime rates, and Councilmember Trayon White, who represents Ward 8, the poorest and most crime-ridden area in the district. The primary unfolded as many progressive cities are struggling with how to address crime. For citizens of the nation’s capital, much of it has happened on Bowser’s watch. Homicides have risen for four years. The 2021 murder count of 227 was the highest mark since 2003. And in January, a candidate for the D.C. Council, Nate Fleming, was carjacked at gunpoint. But Bowser, a moderate, adopted a pragmatic approach that may have helped her on Tuesday. She largely stood by her police department at a time when activists called to defund the police, fighting public battles with the D.C. Council over the police budget. She quietly replaced an older white police chief with a younger Black successor. She also pushed for funding to hire hundreds more police officers over the next decade. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Katie Britt wins tumultuous Alabama Senate race scrambled by Donald Trump
Katie Britt won the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama Tuesday, defeating six-term Rep. Mo Brooks in a primary runoff after former President Donald Trump took the unusual step of rescinding his initial Brooks endorsement. The loss ends a turbulent campaign that pit Brooks, a conservative firebrand who has spent more than a decade in Congress, against someone who has never held elected office. Brooks ran under the banner “MAGA Mo” and fully embraced Trump’s election lies. But that wasn’t enough for the former president, who initially backed Brooks in the race to replace Britt’s former boss, retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, but then pulled his support as Brooks languished in the polls. The race was among a handful of contests held Tuesday at the midpoint of a primary season that has been shaped by Trump’s effort to influence the GOP. By the time Trump backed her earlier this month, Britt was already considered the favorite in the race. She emerged as the top vote-getter in the state’s May 24 primary, but just missed the threshold that triggered a runoff. Still, Tuesday’s result gives Trump a win at a time when his influence over the GOP has come under scrutiny. The former president has had a mixed record of success in backing candidates this election season, helping lift Senate contenders in Pennsylvania and Ohio while floundering elsewhere, particularly in Georgia. Voters in the one-time Republican stronghold rejected his efforts to unseat the state’s GOP governor and secretary of state, both of whom rebuffed his extraordinary pressure to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. And his trouble in the crucial swing state deepened Tuesday as two of his endorsed congressional candidates faltered in their GOP runoff elections. In the 6th District in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, emergency room physician Rich McCormick beat Trump-backed lawyer Jake Evans. And in the 10th District east of Atlanta, trucking company owner Mike Collins bested Democrat-turned-Republican Vernon Jones. Trump persuaded Jones to run for the seat and drop his long-shot bid for governor to clear the field for his chosen candidate, former Sen. David Perdue. Perdue lost to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who endorsed Collins. The seat is being vacated by Republican Rep. Jody Hice, who also lost his bid to unseat Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another top Trump target. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser won the Democratic nomination to serve another term, fending off a pair of challengers amid concerns over rising crime and homelessness. But the Alabama Senate runoff had drawn particular attention because of the drama surrounding Trump’s endorsement and because the winner, who will face Democrat Will Boyd in November, is considered the overwhelmingly favorite in the Republican state. Britt, 40, cast herself as part of a new generation of conservative leaders while disparaging Brooks, 68, as a career politician. If victorious in November, Britt will be the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama and one of its youngest members. The state’s previous female senators had been appointed. “Alabama has spoken. We want new blood. We want fresh blood,” she said at her victory party. “We want someone who will fight for Christian conservative values, who will fight for the freedoms and liberties this nation was founded on and will fight for the American dream for the next generation and the next generation.” That argument seemed to resonate with some voters Tuesday. “She’s young. She’s smart,” said 86-year-old Carolyn Bowman. “That’s what we need in Congress.” Brooks, who is known for his bombastic oratory style, described the race as a battle for the soul of the Republican Party, pitting the “true conservative” wing against establishment members of the GOP. He disparaged Britt, 40, as a RINO — the GOP pejorative meaning “Republican in name only” — and maintained he was the only one with a proven conservative record. The founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Brooks has a history of bucking party leadership and made his opposition to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a pillar of his campaign, embarking on a “Fire McConnell Tour” of town halls. In his concession speech Tuesday night, Brooks told supporters he respected the race’s outcome. But in a sign of the contentious race, he accused voters of having been seduced by false advertising and congratulated high-dollar donors and “special interest groups” for funding Britt’s campaign. “We are sending to Washington, D.C., the exact opposite of what we need in the United States Senate. But the voters have spoken. They might not have spoken wisely,” he groused. Brooks was initially considered the frontrunner when he announced his Senate candidacy, and Trump quickly offered his support, rewarding an ally who had been an ardent supporter of Trump’s false claims of election fraud. Brooks voted against certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory and delivered a fiery speech at the “Stop the Steal” rally that proceeded the U.S. Capitol insurrection, telling the crowd, “Today is the day that American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.” But their relationship soured as Brooks struggled to gain traction. Trump eventually pulled his support in March, accusing Brooks — one of the most conservative members in Congress — of going “woke” for saying at a rally that it was time to move on from litigating the 2020 presidential election. Brooks clawed his way into a second-place finish in the May primary and tried once again to get Trump to back him. But Trump instead threw his support to Britt 11 days before the runoff she was widely expected to win. Elsewhere, in Virginia, Republicans chose a pair of Trump-aligned congressional candidates to take on two of the most vulnerable Democrats in the fall. In the coastal 2nd District, state Sen. Jen Kiggans won the Republican race to try to unseat Democrat Elaine Luria, a retired Naval commander and member of the January 6 committee, in the general election. And in central Virginia’s 7th District, Yesli Vega emerged from a competitive six-candidate field to face Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger. At the polls Tuesday in Virginia Beach, Nanci
What to watch in Alabama Senate runoff, DC mayor’s race
The two Republican candidates in Alabama’s U.S. Senate primary runoff on Tuesday can each boast that at one point, they had Donald Trump’s endorsement in the race. Trump first backed U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in the spring of 2021. That endorsement stood for nearly a year until Trump rescinded it as the conservative firebrand languished in the polls. The former president took his time in issuing a second endorsement, supporting Katie Britt in the race only after she emerged as the top vote-getter in the state’s May 24 primary. In other races Tuesday, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser is facing voters amid growing concerns about crime. Runoffs in Georgia will resolve close contests in several congressional races and a secretary of state nomination, while primaries in Virginia will set up competitive congressional contests for the fall. Arkansas is holding primary runoffs for several legislative races. What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries: ALABAMA The Senate runoff will decide the GOP nominee for the seat being vacated by 88-year-old Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, who announced his retirement in February 2021 after serving six terms. Two months later, Trump announced his endorsement of Brooks, rewarding the six-term congressman who had objected to the certification of the 2020 presidential election and spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. But Trump soured on Brooks as the primary campaign progressed, growing unhappy with his showing in the race and some of his comments urging the party to move on from the former president’s fixation on his 2020 election defeat. He pulled his endorsement last March. Britt, Shelby’s former chief of staff and a former leader of a state business group, won the most votes in last month’s primary, capturing nearly 45% of the ballots compared to Brooks’ 29%. Britt had needed to earn more than 50% of the vote to win outright and avoid a runoff. Another top candidate, Mike Durant, best known as the helicopter pilot who was held captive in Somalia during the 1993 battle chronicled in the book and film “Black Hawk Down,” finished in third place and failed to advance to the runoff. Brooks has been backed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, both of whom campaigned with him. Britt comes into Tuesday’s runoff with a fundraising advantage and a shiny new endorsement from Trump, which came a couple of weeks after the primary. The former president, who has a mixed record of success in backing winning candidates in this year’s midterm elections, waited to make an endorsement to help stave off the embarrassment of backing a losing candidate in a high-profile race. The winner of the GOP race will face Democrat Will Boyd in November, though Democrats have found limited success in the deep-red state in the last 20 years. GEORGIA A Democratic contest for secretary of state headlines the Tuesday runoffs in Georgia, while Republicans will settle three congressional nominations. State Rep. Bee Nguyen, backed by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, is trying to defeat former state Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler in the secretary of state’s race. The winner will face Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the fall. Raffensperger beat back a challenge in his May 24 primary from U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, who was endorsed by Trump. Trump made Raffensperger a top target for rebuffing his efforts to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s win in the state’s 2020 presidential election. In congressional runoffs, Vernon Jones, a Trump-backed candidate and former Democrat, is competing against trucking company owner Mike Collins for the Republican nomination for the 10th Congressional District seat east of Atlanta. Collins was endorsed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who also won his primary over a Trump-backed challenger. In the 6th District in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, emergency room physician Rich McCormick is trying to hold off Trump-backed lawyer Jake Evans. That race has revolved around accusations by each candidate that the other is insufficiently conservative. The Republican winners in the 6th and 10th are heavy favorites in the November election over their Democratic opponents. Republicans also have high hopes of knocking off 30-year Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop in southwest Georgia’s 2nd District. The GOP is choosing between former Army officer Jeremy Hunt and real estate developer Chris West. VIRGINIA In Virginia, voters will be picking Republican nominees to take on Democratic U.S. House incumbents in two of the most highly competitive districts in the country. In the coastal 2nd District, which includes the state’s most populous city, Virginia Beach, four military veterans are competing for the GOP nomination. With a big fundraising lead and the backing of the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC dedicated to electing House Republicans, state Sen. Jen Kiggans is widely seen as the front-runner. The winner will face Democrat Elaine Luria, a retired Naval commander and member of the January 6 committee, in the general election. In central Virginia’s 7th District, six candidates are jockeying to take on Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer. WASHINGTON, D.C. Bowser, the two-term mayor of Washington, D.C., is trying to fend off challenges from a pair of Council members as the district contends with rising crime rates and homelessness concerns. Bowser has had a tumultuous second term that saw her repeatedly face off against Trump and walk a public tightrope between her own police department and a vocal coalition of activists led by Black Lives Matter. She is campaigning on the need for proven leadership and her history as one of the faces of Washington’s ongoing quest for statehood. Her primary challengers are Robert White and Trayon White, who are not related to each other. Both accuse Bowser of favoring developers as spiraling costs of living drive Black families out of the city and of mishandling public safety issues amid rising rates of violent crime, like a Sunday night shooting that left a 15-year-old boy dead and a police officer and at least two other adults wounded. The Democratic primary essentially decides the mayoral race in deeply blue Washington, D.C. Robert White has a history of successful insurgent campaigns, having unseated an entrenched incumbent for an at-large
Mo Brooks: I’m ready to fight to save the country I love.
I got into this U.S. Senate race for one reason: I have never before feared for the future of my country like I do today. I think many of you feel the same way. I’ve heard it from thousands of Alabamians while traveling our state. Jim in Muscle Shoals was worried about being able to afford putting enough $4 per gallon gas in his car to get to work. Sarah in Foley was struggling to find baby formula to feed her newborn son. I’ve heard from you, and I feel your pain. Joe Biden has done more damage in his short time in office than any other President in American history. Socialism is on the march, and we find ourselves in a battle for the soul of our nation. During my time in Congress, I’ve had a very simple guiding philosophy: is the vote I’m about to cast going to make Americans’ lives better? Am I being asked to support a bill because it helps a select few of special interest groups or because it helps the people? I’ve taken some bullets during my time in Washington, both figuratively and literally. I was on the ball field in 2017 when a Bernie Sanders supporter shot a number of my colleagues. My name was one of six on the hit list in his pocket. I’ve been called a racist, misogynist, a Klansman, and just about every other name in the book. But I fought. I fought because America is worth fighting for. You are worth fighting for. I never asked for anything in return. I don’t want my name on buildings. I don’t want a seat at the table in some smoky backroom. I just want Alabama and America to be great. I hope that my record reflects some success in that. I’m proud of my A+ ratings from the NRA and Gun Owners of America for defending the Second Amendment. I’m proud of my 100% record of supporting life according to the National Right to Life. NumbersUSA has given me an A+ for putting America First and fighting for a strong border and immigration policies that suit America’s national interest, not the interest of the rest of the world. I’ve been consistently ranked the most conservative Congressman in Alabama according to the American Conservative Union and CPAC. But let me be clear, none of this matters if we lose the country we love. Lobbyists and special interest groups have spent millions trying to buy Senate seats and corrupt the public policy debate in America. They’ve been very active for my opponent in this race. I ask the people to ask why that is? Why are the lobbyists, special interest groups, McConnell lackeys, and Swampers ALL IN against me? Ilhan Omar and AOC have called for me to be expelled from Congress. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney have fought to get me kicked off my committees. And Mitch McConnell has spent over $20 million attacking me, trying to keep me out of the Senate. You’ve seen his work on TV and in your mailbox. It’s disgusting, it’s deceitful, and it’s shameful. But I’d like to think it’s because I’ve made a career of putting America First. I’ve shown I will not waver, and I can’t be bought. I stand for the people, period. While I’m proud of my proven conservative record, there is still unfinished business. America can ill afford a Senator who will be owned by the same America Last forces that have hindered Republicans from any real progress. McConnell and the Swamp believe our Senate seat is for sale. I ask you to show them it’s not. I’ve never before feared for the future of my country like I do today, but I still believe there’s hope. But we are out of time, and we can’t get this wrong. On June 21st, I ask for you to vote for Mo Brooks so we can send a proven fighter to the Senate. I’ve never gone wobbly on you; I’ve never kept quiet or toed the line to get along. I promise that in the Senate, you’ll be proud to know that Alabama has a fighter on the front lines, ready to do not what’s easy but what’s right. I’m ready to fight to save the country I love. I ask that on June 21st, you give me that chance. Mo Brooks is a U.S. Representative for Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District and a U.S. Senate candidate.
A look at nominations for five statewide offices
The party nominations for five statewide offices, including secretary of state on the Republican side and governor on the Democratic ticket are on the ballot in Tuesday’s primary runoff election in Alabama. The GOP nomination for a lone congressional seat also will be decided. Here is a look at the races: SECRETARY OF STATE With many Republican voters embracing former President Donald Trump’s false claims that fraud cost him the 2020 presidential election, the two remaining GOP candidates to become Alabama’s top elections official, secretary of state, campaigned on themes of tightening election security. Jim Zeigler, who was barred from seeking another four years as state auditor because of term limits, dubbed himself a “watchman” against ballot fraud, so-called “ballot harvesting,” and voting by mail. Trump has blamed all those and more for his loss to Democratic President Joe Biden, and many GOP voters believe him despite a lack of evidence. Rep. Wes Allen is a state representative from Troy who previously served as probate judge in Pike County. Citing the potential for fraud, he opposes early voting and no-excuse absentee balloting and sponsored a law that barred “curbside” voting meant in part to make it easier for people with disabilities to cast a ballot. The Republican nominee will face Democrat Pamela J. Laffitte, an Air Force veteran and corrections supervisor in Mobile County, in November. The current secretary of state, Republican John Merrill, couldn’t run again because of term limits. GOVERNOR Either Yolanda Rochelle Flowers or state Sen. Malika Sanders Fortier will become the first Black person to win a major party’s gubernatorial nomination in Alabama in the Democratic runoff for governor. Flowers, a career educator from Birmingham, narrowly led a six-person field in the May primary. She ran on a platform of “reconstructing” Alabama by rebuilding its economy and systems for education, health care, and criminal justice. Among other things, she has advocated for a state lottery and a state minimum wage of $15. Fortier, a state lawmaker from Selma, campaigned on the theme of building the biblical “beloved community” promoted by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by improving the state’s economy, schools, and health care. She is the daughter of former state Sen. Hank Sanders and attorney Faya Rose Toure. The eventual winner face Gov. Kay Ivey, who vanquished eight challengers to win the GOP primary without a runoff. Nearly four times as many people voted in the Republican primary as the Democratic primary in May, and Republicans hold every statewide office. STATE AUDITOR Stan Cooke and Andrew Sorrell are vying for the Republican nomination to succeed Zeigler as state auditor. Cooke, a pastor from the Jefferson County town of Kimberly, claims Alabama is at a crossroads where it could remain a conservative state or come under the control of liberal Democrats. Echoing former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election theft, he is highlighting the auditor’s role in appointing county election officials who can prevent Democrats from stealing elections. Sorrell, a state representative from Colbert County who led balloting in the May primary, also tried to make election security a prime issue, saying a strong auditor is needed to appoint county registrars who will keep voter rolls clean. The eventual nominee will not have a Democratic opponent in the fall. U.S. HOUSE North Alabama’s 5th District features the only runoff for one of the state’s seven U.S. House seats. In the Tennessee Valley region, Madison County Commission chair Dale Strong and Casey Wardynski, a former Huntsville school superintendent, advanced to a runoff from a field of six candidates in May. Strong led easily with about 45% of the vote but couldn’t avoid a runoff. The winner will face Democrat Kathy Warner-Stanton of Decatur. The 5th District seat is being given up by U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who is in a runoff with former business lobby leader Katie Britt for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. ALABAMA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION Two Republican incumbents on the Alabama Public Service Commission face runoff challenges to keep their jobs on the utility-regulating board. Jeremy Oden, a former state legislator from Cullman seeking his third term on the three-member commission, cast himself as a conservative bulwark against liberal environmental policies. He received the most votes in May in a four-way race for the Place 1 seat that saw attorney Brent Woodall, a PSC staffer, and Republican activist, come in second. First elected to the PSC in 2014, former Greene County Commissioner Chip Beeker also portrayed himself as an opponent of Democratic environmental policies in his campaign to retain the Place 2 seat. Beeker, who led the primary vote, is opposed by Robert L. McCollum, a small business owner from Tallapoosa County who contends the commission is too close to Alabama Power Co. No Democrat qualified for either position, making a victory in the Republican runoff tantamount to election.
Katie Britt releases final campaign ad ahead of June 21 primary runoff
With just five days left until the June 21 primary runoff election, Katie Britt has released her closing ad in her 2022 campaign for U.S. Senator. Entitled “New Blood,” the 30-second spot features the former CEO of the Business Council of Alabama speaking directly to the people of Alabama. In the ad, Britt says, “I’m a 40-year-old mother of two, and I believe if my generation doesn’t wake up and step up, our kids won’t have the opportunity to live their American Dream. That’s why I’m running this race. As your Senator, I’ll defend our Christian conservative values, and I will always put Alabama and America first. I’m Katie Britt, and I approve this message. If you’re looking for new blood to shake things up in Washington and fight for Alabama, I’d be honoredto earn your vote.” In a press release, Britt expressed gratitude for the support she received during her campaign. “We have worked tirelessly this past year, traveling to all 67 counties across Alabama to share our message, listen tohardworking Alabamians, and answer their questions,” stated Britt. “My family and I are truly grateful for all of theprayers, support, and encouragement we’ve received along the way. It is clear that families in every corner of our stateare ready to send a fresh conservative fighter to defend our values and our people in the U.S. Senate. As Alabama’sSenator, I will always fight to grow good-paying jobs and 21st-century opportunity for all Alabamians, regardless of their zip code. Alabama’s future is on the ballot this Tuesday, and I would be honored to earn your vote.” Britt is running against U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks. Donald Trump originally endorsed Brooks, but the former president revoked his endorsement in March. Trump endorsed Britt last Friday, calling Britt “an incredible fighter for the people of Alabama.” The GOP primary runoff election is June 21.
