Britt leads Brooks, others in Alabama Senate race fundraising

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Katie Boyd Britt has piled up a significant cash advantage over Trumpbacked Rep. Mo Brooks and other candidates in the Alabama race for U.S. Senate.

Britt, the former chief of staff to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, is seeking to fill his seat in the 2022 election. Britt stepped down as head of the Business Council of Alabama to run for Senate and has so far dominated fundraising ahead of the June Republican primary.

Britt has raised a total of $3.76 million for her campaign, including $1.5 million in the past quarter, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. She has a $3.3 million campaign balance.

Shelby, one of the Senate’s most senior members, announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection in 2022, igniting what is expected to be a messy GOP primary in the red-leaning state.

Shelby has called Britt the “best-qualified candidate to come along in a long time” but has not played any public role in her campaign.

Brooks comes to the Republican primary armed with an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

Brooks has raised a total of $1.79 million for his campaign, including $663,074 in the last fundraising quarter. He entered the race with $1 million left from his last House of Representatives race, and has $1.8 million on hand.

Lynda Blanchard, a businesswoman who was Trump’s ambassador to Slovenia, has the most cash in the race, after taking out $5 million in loans earlier in the campaign season.

Businesswoman Jessica Taylor reported raising $150,848. The other candidates in the race have raised nominal amounts.