New poll shows dramatic shift in Alabama U.S. Senate race

A new statewide survey conducted for the Alabama Forestry Association and obtained by APR shows a dynamic shift in Alabama’s U.S. Senate race, with former Business Council of Alabama President and CEO Katie Britt taking the lead over Congressman Mo Brooks and military contractor/author Mike Durant.

The latest poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates found that Britt is besting both Brooks and Durant among likely Republican primary voters, with nearly 40 percent saying Britt is their first choice to represent Alabama in the U.S. Senate.

Britt enjoys a double digit lead over her opponents with, 38.6 percent saying she will receive their vote in the Republican primary. Durant comes in second with 27.4 percent, with Brooks coming in third with 22 percent. Brooks has enjoyed a recent uptick in likely votes as Durant’s campaign has declined sharply from previous polls.

The survey conducted over a three-day period from May 3 to May 5 reveals that among Republicans, Britt receives a 53.6 percent favorability rating to Durant’s 44.6 percent and Brooks’ 38.6 percent.

In a hard-fought contest, Brooks, once a MAGA darling, has taken a pounding from national media, while Club for Growth which is backing Brooks, has spent some $13 million to paint Britt in a negative light. State and national news outlets have treated Durant, a war veteran, with kid gloves. However, recently a spat of reporting and opposition ads are shining a light on some less desirable aspects of his candidacy.

Brooks is the least popular, with a 47 percent unfavorable rating of the three candidates, while Durant’s unfavorables are at 37.8 percent to Britt’s 30.2 percent.

When participants were asked if they viewed Britt or Durant as a liberal, moderate or conservative in their political beliefs, Britt was seen as more conservative. Britt was viewed as conservative by 52.2 percent of those surveyed, while Durant was rated as 43.4 percent conservative.

When Republicans were asked which candidate would show the strongest support for President Trump and his America first agenda, Brooks took the lead with 29.6 percent, followed closely by Britt at 22.4 percent, with Durant at a distant third with only 18.8 percent believing he would lead on the former president’s agenda.

When questioned about who would fight for conservative Alabama values in Washington, Britt led with 35.2 percent saying she was a conservative fighter, with Brooks receiving 22.8 percent and Durant 21.4 percent.

In the survey, Britt also leads on fighting inflation, protecting second amendment gun rights and securing the country’s Southern border.

During the Republican primary, Brooks has sought to recast himself as a Washington outsider, however, Republican voters see him as the most establishment candidate among the three contenders.

The survey of 500 likely Republican voters found that 90 percent were definitely voting in the May 24 primary, with 100 percent saying they would vote the GOP ticket.

Bill Britt is not related to Katie Britt or her husband.