Trump endorsement flip scrambles Alabama race
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks has run his race for Senate embracing former President Donald Trump’s election lies. He’s called himself “MAGA Mo” and campaigned alongside the organizers of the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the storming of the Capitol building — the rally where he infamously told the crowd it was time to start “kicking ass.”
But Brooks’ efforts weren’t enough to keep him in Trump’s favor. The former president rescinded his early Brooks endorsement back in March and then snubbed him a second time, endorsing his rival, Katie Britt, ahead of Tuesday’s Republican runoff election for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Britt’s former boss, retiring GOP Sen. Richard Shelby.
Alabama is one of a handful of states holding contests Tuesday at the midpoint of a primary season that has been shaped by Trump’s effort to influence the GOP. In Virginia, Republicans are choosing between Trump-aligned congressional candidates to take on vulnerable Democrats in the fall.
And in Georgia, Democrats will settle several close races, including deciding which Democrat will challenge Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state who overcame a Trump-backed challenge last month.
But the Alabama Senate runoff has drawn particular attention both because of the drama surrounding Trump’s endorsement and the fact that the winner will likely prevail in November in a state Trump won twice by more than 25 percentage points.
Trump initially endorsed Brooks in the spring of 2021, rewarding an ardent champion of his baseless claims of a stolen election. Brooks had voted against certifying Joe Biden’s election victory and delivered a fiery speech at the rally before the U.S. Capitol insurrection, telling the crowd, “Today is the day that American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.”
But nearly a year later, Trump rescinded his support after the pair’s relationship soured and as the conservative firebrand languished in the polls. Trump blamed his decision on comments Brooks had made months earlier, at an August rally, when he said it was time for the party to move on from litigating the 2020 presidential race — comments Trump claimed showed Brooks, one of the most conservative members of Congress, had gone “woke.”