U.S. Army veteran Mike Durant, Republican candidate for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat, has picked up the endorsement of retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin.
Boykin, a 36-year veteran of the U.S. military, was an original member of the Army’s Delta Force and served as the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence under former President George W. Bush.
Boykin is presently the executive vice president of the Family Research Council, a Washington, D.C.-based evangelical activist organization.
In a statement announcing his endorsement of Durant, Boykin asserted that the former Black Hawk aviator is an “American hero” who would combat the Biden administration’s “liberal agenda” as Alabama’s junior senator.
“Mike Durant is an American hero who is signing up for one more tour of duty,” proclaimed Boykin. “Mike is a conservative patriot who knows that we need to stop Joe Biden’s liberal agenda and take our country back from the radical left. Mike is pro-Trump, pro-life and pro-gun. I’m proud to endorse his campaign for U.S. Senate.”
Boykin’s well-documented military service includes his involvement in the 1980 Iran hostage rescue attempt and the 1992 manhunt for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. He also served alongside Durant in the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” incident during the Somali Civil War.
In touting the endorsement, Durant railed against “career politicians” and expressed his intentions to embark on “one more tour of duty” as a member of the U.S. Senate.
“I’m proud to have the support of Lt. General Boykin. It is an honor to have the support of my brothers and sisters in the military community,” stated Durant. “For too long, career politicians in Washington have made poor decisions that have left Alabama and America behind. I am signing up for one more tour of duty to serve my country and my state again. I look forward to earning your support on Tuesday.”
Boykin’s support of Durant’s candidacy adds to the expanding list of endorsements he has received from the military community.
Durant holds endorsements from retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, retired SEAL Team Six commander and former U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mo.), the Combat Veterans for Congress PAC, and SEAL PAC.
Durant will face U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and former Business Council of Alabama head Katie Britt in the GOP primary election May 24, 2022. Should no candidate garner more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will occur June 21, 2022.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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