Former President Donald Trump has withdrawn his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama's Senate primary.
In a statement, Trump called Brooks “woke” and blamed Brook's performance on his decision to “stop talking about the 2020 Election.”
The Hill has more on his announcement:
“When I endorsed Mo Brooks, he took a 44-point lead and was unstoppable. He then hired a new campaign staff who ‘brilliantly' convinced him to ‘stop talking about the 2020 Election,'” Trump said in a statement issued on Wednesday morning.
“Very sad but, since he decided to go in another direction, so have I, and I am hereby withdrawing my Endorsement of Mo Brooks for the Senate. I don't think the great people of Alabama will disagree with me. Election Fraud must be captured and stopped, or we won't have a Country anymore.”
Trump had been mulling withdrawing his backing of Brooks for some time and has reportedly met with other candidates in the Republican primary, including Katie Britt, a former aide to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)
This morning's development comes four days after a report that Trump had begun contemplating rescinding his endorsement with Brooks failing to break through the crowded primary field.
Brooks announced his candidacy for the seat soon after incumbent Sen. Richard Shelby announced his retirement.
Despite being the initial frontrunner, Brooks' campaign has floundered in recent weeks. A new poll commissioned by Alabama Daily News found the heretofore Trump-backed candidate in third place. The congressman trails businessman and military veteran Mike Durant and Katie Britt, Shelby's former chief of staff, both by double digits.
Worse for Brooks, Shelby plans to transfer $6 million from his campaign coffers to boost Britt's candidacy. Shelby confirmed in an interview that he's committed to doing everything he can to ensure Britt either wins outright or secures a runoff in the May primary.
Politico adds:
“I'm going to give it all away sooner or later. I'm going to help her, transfer it to a super PAC,” said Shelby, who has nearly $10 million in his campaign account and more than $6 million in a separate leadership PAC. He added that Britt is “doing well right now. Mo Brooks is dropping, you see that.”
So, what do you think? Will Shelby's investment or Trump's endorsement have a bigger impact on the GOP primary? Let us know in the comments below, and while you're at it, tell us which candidates you're most excited about with the midterms approaching!
Trump has got to stop talking about the 2020 election!! That is such a turn off. He must talk about what he will do and be positive!!
I have stopped donating!!!!
If we don’t fix 2020 there’s not going to be a 2024.
Beware of Republicans who say, let’s just move on to more important things and put this issue behind us, because their time to fight never comes. We’ve seen it with many budget battles where they say we’ll just give in to the democrats now, but just you wait for the annual budget in 6 months and then you’ll see us fight. People who always surrender today while promising to fight tomorrow are the moderate Republicans who have no idea what we’re up against with these evil democrats, and they need to be dismissed.
If we don’t fix 2020, we have lost our country. Trump is the dejure president of the republic of the united States, Biden is president of the United States, Inc. which is bankrupt. As soon as you people wake up he will come out and declare what has happened with the 2020 election. Besides that he wants to wake people up who are asleep