Durant holds double-digit lead in Alabama Senate race: poll

Former Army pilot Mike Durant has a 10-point lead over the rest of the Alabama GOP Senate primary, according to a new poll from The Hill/Emerson College released Wednesday.

Durant, a former Black Hawk pilot who was shot down in Somalia in 1993, gets the support of 33 percent of GOP primary voters in the poll, followed by 23 percent for Katie Britt, a former aide to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), whose seat is up for grabs. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) comes in third with 12 percent, while 26 percent of primary voters remain undecided. 

It’s the first nonpartisan poll showing Durant with a double-digit lead over the field, while the number of undecided voters indicates a wide open primary. The survey also indicates the extent to which Brooks was aided by the endorsement of former President Trump — several prior polls showed him struggling to break away but still running neck and neck, near the top of the pack.

The nominating contest was shaken up last week, after former President Trump rescinded his endorsement of Brooks over comments the congressman made last year saying that Republican voters should move on from the 2020 election.

The poll, which was taken after the imprimatur was revoked, shows that a new endorsement by Trump would make a difference, with 52 percent of primary voters saying his backing would make them more likely to support a candidate. 

Trump said in his statement last week that he intends to issue another endorsement in the race, a comment expected to set off scrambling among Durant and Britt to win him over. 

The falling-out between Trump and Brooks indicated a remarkable break between two longtime allies.

Brooks had been a vocal advocate of Trump’s claims that the 2020 race had been marred by electoral fraud and misconduct and appeared at the rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

Despite that, Trump took particular issue with comments Brooks made later in 2021 that seemed to push voters to move beyond those grumblings. He is also believed to have kept an eye on Brooks’s fundraising struggles.

“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. I will be making a new Endorsement in the near future!” Trump said last week.

As it stands now, no candidate comes close to the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff, and the top two spots could hinge largely on Trump’s involvement.

“Whether Durant or Britt clinches the nomination might depend on who former President Trump chooses to endorse. Among the 26 percent of Republican primary voters who are undecided, 60 percent are more likely to vote for a candidate if Trump endorses them,” said Executive Director of Emerson College Polling Spencer Kimball. 

The Hill/Emerson College poll surveyed 687 GOP primary voters from March 25-27 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.