FORT PAYNE — U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt on Monday took her campaign to the Mountain Lakes region of the Yellowhammer State.
In a well attended event at Fort Payne’s Iron and Coal Building, the first-time candidate brought her “Alabama First” message to a packed room of Republican voters, many of whom were local DeKalb County business and community leaders.
In her address to event attendees, Britt spoke to a wide-ranging assortment of issues which are integral to her campaign’s platform.
Kicking off her speech, Britt sounded the alarm over where she saw the nation as heading under the progressive policies of the Biden administration.
“Ultimately, we know the country that we grew up in and we see the country that our children are growing up in, and while that’s not too far apart, it seems worlds and worlds away,” Britt said. “We believe that if the next generation doesn’t get off the sideline and get engaged for the next generation there’s not going to be a country left for our children to fight for – that is what is at stake.”
Britt pointed to the crisis at the southern border and the “astronomical” number of illegal aliens entering the country. She pointing to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the amount of deadly drugs being imported into the nation’s interior, saying that as senator she would work to “seal and secure our border.”
“If you look at what’s happening with cancel culture – it is real,” advised Britt. “Everything from big tech to public schools,” pointing to an instance in the neighboring state of Mississippi in which a student was forced to remove her mask due to it reading “Jesus loves me.”
She went on to blast the federal government’s involvement in the public school system by stating, “I don’t plan on co-parenting with the federal government.”
Concerning the threat posed to the United States by the Chinese Communist Party, Britt noted that the dictatorial regime “is undermining us at every single turn.” She went on to state, “From stealing our intellectual property to undermining the American worker, folks, we have to hold China accountable.”
Regarding the Biden administration’s handling of Afghanistan, Britt proclaimed that the United States should “should have never had a leader that got on a bent knee to the Taliban.”
The candidate made mention of her desire to combat the federal government’s “overspending.” Additionally, Britt spoke on what she saw as the need to expand access to telemedicine, invest in broadband infrastructure, support the agriculture industry, roll back the “death tax,” among other issues.
Britt touched on the growing distrust over the nation’s election system, pointing to what she sees as the need to uphold voter integrity.
“We have to make sure that we have free, fair and secure elections because what we have currently is a crack in the foundation of our democracy,” said Britt. “If we don’t make sure that people have faith that their vote counts and that our election process works, our democracy will crumble.”
When asked about her career experience and how it would be beneficial in her representing the state, Britt pointed to her former service as chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) as being an asset should she become Alabama’s junior senator.
“I would say probably that experience taught me how to get things done,” said Britt. “If you look at the United States Senate, so much of that tends to be a chess game. How are you going to advance the agenda of the people of our state, fight for their values and fight for their livelihoods? Seeing how that works and knowing how to be effective… coming from the state of Alabama, you don’t need somebody that is just loud but yet can’t get anything done.”
She added, “You need someone that will fight and stand up and not be afraid to tell it like it is, and also knows how to achieve results – also knows how to move the needle… So I think my experience there will most definitely allow me to hit the ground running and be effective from day one.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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