HUNTSVILLE — During a Tuesday morning meeting of the Republican Women of Huntsville, Jessica Taylor announced the end of her U.S. Senate candidacy and endorsed her former opponent, “Black Hawk Down” U.S. Army aviator Mike Durant.
The announcement comes on the heels of Durant this week launching his campaign’s “Alabama First” tour, which will soon see the candidate make stops in Alabama’s Wiregrass region. Taylor was a 2020 candidate for Alabama’s second congressional district, which encompasses Durant’s upcoming campaign stops.
Durant also plans to officially qualify as a candidate for the U.S. Senate Tuesday afternoon at the Alabama Republican Party headquarters in Birmingham.
According to recent independent polling, Durant sits in third place with 16.6% of support among likely Republican primary voters, polling behind U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and former Business Council of Alabama CEO Katie Britt.
The poll, conducted in early December, showed Taylor garnering 4% of support among the Republican base.
Durant has centered his campaign platform around combatting President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. A first-time candidate, Durant is running as a candidate that is willing to take on “career politicians.”
In announcing the endorsement, Taylor asserted that her support for Durant’s candidacy stemmed from his standing as a “political outsider.”
“I ran for office because we need more political outsiders who will stand up to the radical left and career politicians. Mike Durant is the political outsider that Alabama needs in Washington, and I am proud to endorse his campaign for United States Senate,” proclaimed Taylor. “Mike has spent his life serving our country and building a successful business. Like President Trump, Mike will use his business experience and outsider perspective to deliver for Alabama and drain the swamp. I look forward to supporting Mike’s campaign and sending him to Washington for one more mission.”
Durant expressed appreciation to Taylor over the endorsement and indicated that he would be a change agent as a member of the upper chamber of Congress.
“I’d like to thank Jessica Taylor for all that she has done for conservatives in Alabama and for her support of our growing campaign,” stated Durant. “For too long, career politicians who have never held a real job in their life have made poor decisions that have left Alabama families behind and put America last. I’m running to change that.”
The primary election is slated to occur on May 24, 2022.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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