Donald Trump has withdrawn his endorsement of former ally and current Senate candidate Mo Brooks of Alabama. The representative and Freedom Caucus member has earned Trump’s ire in recent weeks by telling voters that they must move on from the 2020 election. Brooks previously supported Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud and joined in attempts to challenge the results before Biden’s inauguration.
Mo Brooks loses the Trump endorsement
Trump responded to news that Brooks was distancing himself from the election controversy by rescinding his endorsement and stating “Mo, you just blew the Election, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Despite this announcement, Mo Brooks intends to stay in the race to replace retiring Republican Senator Richard Shelby.
Trump has not yet endorsed another candidate, but he is openly examining the two leading alternatives to Brooks and he has vowed to make up his mind about which to support in the near future.
Mike Durant and Katie Britt have both met with Trump since entering the race. Britt is a former president of the Alabama Business Council and Trump has reportedly been impressed with her fundraising talents.
Durant, who met with Trump more recently, is a decorated Army veteran, author, and businessman who has declared himself to be the ” only America First candidate” in the race.
He is best known as one of the helicopter pilots shot down in the Black Hawk Down incident. Two Delta Force snipers were posthumously granted the Medal of Honor for volunteering to help the injured Durant, who survived being beaten and captured by hostile Somalis.
Mike Durant and Katie Britt become the leading candidates
Durant leads in the latest polls, with Britt second and Mo Brooks now in third. All three are strongly conservative candidates, so the Trump question may be the deciding factor in the race.
The personal falling out between Brooks and Trump highlights the dangers of being a pro-Trump candidate in 2022, dangers which many Republicans throughout the country are forced to accept.
The Trump endorsement can provide a massive boost for any candidate, but the former president has been especially unforgiving lately, and offending him is just as likely to spell doom for a campaign that relied on his support.
This is all especially vital in a race in which the top three candidates are closely aligned with Trump and his agenda and have presented themselves as representatives for his platform.
Mike Durant’s leading position in the polls and his more recent meeting with Trump make him the most likely candidate for the Trump endorsement, but the choice remains somewhat unpredictable.
Trump is said to have liked Katie Britt and her husband on a personal level, and given the role that Trump’s personality has already played in this race, that might give her a real chance against Durant.
