On Tuesday night, Brooks was easily defeated in the Republican primary by Katie Boyd Britt, a former top aide to longtime senator Richard Selby, whose retirement opened the door. Brooks, a MAGA MP known outside of Alabama for his inflammatory rhetoric at the famous Ellipse Rally in Washington on January 6, entered the race to replace Shelby last year with the enthusiastic support of the former president. However, Brooks’s campaign was hampered by the entry of Britt – who had the power of Selby’s important machine behind her – and another candidate, Army veteran Mike Durand. In March, Brooks’s poll numbers prompted the first revocation of Trump’s approval, which Trump justified by claiming that the far-right lawmaker had “woken up.” But this bizarre turn of events seemed to enliven Brooks’ fading campaign. Armed with an ax to grind, Brooks jumped to the polls. He started hitting Trump hard, needing him to focus on the 2020 election, reiterating his belief, cursing the former president, that Republicans should focus on the 2022 and 2024 races. In the May 24 primary, Brooks outscored Durand by almost 29 percent of the vote, well enough to reach the June 21 run-off with Brit. But any chances of Brooks regaining Trump support seemed dim. Britt, backed by Republican Party forces – including Trump’s main enemy, Senator Mitch McConnell – has also won the support of the former president. That prompted Brooks to throw Trump in the trash because he approved what he called “Alabama Liz Cheney,” a serious insult to the current Democratic Party. Britt’s victory on Tuesday ensures that Republicans retain that seat in red Alabama in November. If she wins, Britt will be the first woman elected to represent Alabama in the Senate.
