Tuesday night, former Business Council of Alabama CEO Katie Britt defeated U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and secured the Republican Party nomination for the Yellowhammer State’s open U.S. Senate seat.
As of reporting time with 27% of the vote in, Britt is holding a 65.71% to 34.29% lead over Brooks.
Britt’s ascension from a virtual unknown outside of political circles to GOP nominee can be attributed to her campaign’s ability to navigate the consistent momentum swings that occurred throughout the hotly contested race.
Polling conducted in October 2021 showed Britt trailing Brooks by more than 40 points.
After a stint atop the GOP primary field, Brooks was replaced as frontrunner by the insurgent candidacy of “Black Hawk Down” U.S. Army aviator Mike Durant.
Dealing a significant blow to the six-term congressman’s candidacy, former President Donald Trump later revoked his endorsement of Brooks, which paved the way for Britt or Durant to win the 45th president’s favor.
Britt’s allies embarked on an aggressive advertising campaign to derail Durant’s candidacy by taking advantage of his identified negatives, which eventually led to the former BCA head claiming frontrunner status.
Britt’s ability to fundraise and execute a highly effective grassroots strategy, which consisted of traditional retail campaigning, continued to pay dividends for the first-time candidate.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, Britt raised nearly $7.5 million during the GOP primary election cycle. Alongside shattering Alabama fundraising records, Britt made it a point to aggressively campaign in all 67 counties.
A steady release of polling commissioned by the pro-Britt Alabama Forestry Association displayed her ability to consistently remain atop the three-way race.
Near the race’s end, Trump officially announced his support of Britt’s senatorial bid, all but solidifying her notching the GOP nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa).
For Brooks, Tuesday night all but closes the book on Brooks’ four-decades-long political career as his final term representing North Alabama on Capitol Hill will end in January when a new Congress is seated.
The firebrand conservative, who seemingly never shied from controversy, has long touted his willingness to buck Republican Party leadership legislatively and politically.
While Brooks’ style earned him a solid base of support among the most conservative factions of the Republican electorate, his combative nature played against his favor in certain business community circles, which harmed his ability to fundraise.
For Britt, her campaign will now set its sights on the November 8 general election, where she will face Democratic Party nominee Will Boyd. The GOP nominee will be heavily favored to prevail in the contest given Alabama’s overwhelming conservative-majority electorate.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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