Mo Brooks has a track record from his time as a U.S. Congressman representing Alabama’s 56th District, while Katie Britt has been in the public eye as retiring Senator Richard Shelby’s former chief of staff and from her time as President and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama.
But Mike Durant? Unless you were a fan of the Black Hawk Down story, in which Durant was the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down in Somalia, chances are the average Alabamian didn’t know much else about him.
All three are running for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Shelby when he leaves office next January. The Republican primary is May 24. If none of the candidates receive at least 50% of the vote, there will be a run-off between the top two vote-getters.
And anytime a mystery candidate gets involved in a major race, rumors start to fly – the most prominent being that Durant is a “trojan horse,’’ intentionally inserted in the race to take away votes from Brooks to assist Britt in getting to that 50% mark.
“Absolutely fabricated,’’ Durant said Thursday while appearing on the “Dixon and Vining” show on 99.5 FM in Birmingham, with 1819 News' Editor-in-Chief Ray Melick filling in for Richard Dixon. “That’s the typical chatter that goes on behind the scenes, where people that live in a political world their whole lives do this to undermine a campaign like mine. Absolutely not true. I’m here because I think I offer something unique and am in it for the right reasons.”
Durant is a 22-year veteran of the US Army, and after retiring, he built an engineering services company, Pinnacle Solutions, in Huntsville with significant government defense contracts.
“To me, the most prominent difference (between Brooks, Britt and himself) is that I am not a career politician,’’ Durant said. “I have the veteran experience that people know, and while Black Hawk Down is what I’m most known for, it was just one day in a 22-year career. There was a lot of stuff around it that I’m quite proud of.
“Then I have a business background … so I understand that aspect, which I think is very unique and either one of those differentiates me and I have two ‘real-world’ resumes. It’s real-world experience rather than just understanding these issues theoretically.”
Brooks held the early lead in the race, but December polling shows Britt had closed that gap significantly – with some even saying she might be slightly ahead.
Durant is the wildcard, who seems to occupy a third lane between Brooks and his endorsement from former President Donald Trump, and Britt, who has the endorsement of many within the business community and prominent leaders in Alabama.
It is a race that has been likened to a battle between the rednecks and the Rockefellers, between country music Republicans and country club Republicans, between rural and urban.
And then there is Durant.
“We’ve made tremendous progress in the last month,’’ Durant said. “We announced in October, at that point stepping into the unknown, really, because I’m not a career politician. But I have a great team with a great message and I’m doing this for the right reasons. I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback on my ads.
“Now, we’re all over the state because people want to meet you. If they see you on TV, great. But they want to look you in the eye and shake your hand and ask questions. That’s where you really win them over, and that’s what we’re trying to do – get support, get votes. The response has been off the chart.”
The story is a good one, but policy should be what makes for a successful candidate, and the major issues people in Alabama are dealing with are inflation, COVID vaccine mandates, and the southern border.
Inflation “is a major issue, the one thing we hear all over the state,’’ Durant said. “Getting a pay raise doesn’t mean anything (because) it’s being outpaced by inflation. It’s critical to address.
“Part of it is spending – government spending is out of control," said Durant. "That’s a major focus for me. I am a complete supporter of the military, because that, to me, is a primary responsibility of federal government. But beyond that, there are many places that can be cut and that’s where we need to start – social programs, taking on the liberal agenda where, in the end, it actually hurts the country. More than just creating more debt, it actually hurts the country.”
As a business owner with federal contracts, Durant has to figure out how to deal with the federal mandates requiring vaccines for businesses that employ more than 100 people.
Thursday, the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine or testing rules for large private employers.
“It is so frustrating,’’ Durant said. “As everyone knows, we’re in a war for talent. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, it’s hard to get people to fill jobs. Here I have people that want to work, who are qualified to work, who in some cases have security clearances and years of training to get where they can be productive, and now the federal government is telling me that if I don’t make them get the vaccine, I ultimately have to terminate them.
“My response to my employees was, let me help you. There are exemptions, and if you have a religious exemption I’ll sign it and I have, many of them. … But the hold-outs that have a moral objection are more difficult to deal with. There are two categories we’re in: defense contractor and non-defense contractor. Should they come back around (with the mandate), the issue facing those folks who didn’t file for an exemption is that I could lose the contract and then the issue is greater because of all the people that work on that project lose and we could lose the contract.
“The best way to solve it is to overturn it and have the courts rule it as unconstitutional because it is unconstitutional.”
However, Durant also understands the frustration of business owners caught between federal mandates requiring vaccination and state law which says employees cannot be terminated for not getting a vaccine.
“I’m a law-abiding citizen,’ and I comply with the law at every turn,’’ Durant said. “But it does get complicated. Unfortunately, we have to turn to attorneys for advice and that’s not free. I love our attorneys. They’re great and help us a lot. But this creates anxiety for people because it’s not clear and they wonder, ‘what does my future look like?’’’
Durant also believes the southern border needs to be made secure, "and why that doesn’t seem to be resonating with the current administration (in Washington D.C.) is difficult to understand.” He said he is a full supporter of “controlled, legal immigration.”
But what to do about those who are already here, who have been born in this country but because their parents came illegally are, in a sense, without a homeland?
“It’s a complex problem,’’ Durant said. “Not an easy answer. But I’m a law-abiding citizen, very pro-law enforcement, and if their situation got them here illegally, then we need to take action. We have to follow the law. For whatever reason, people don’t seem to think that’s important but that, to me, is fundamental to who we are as a nation. We have to follow the law.”
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email ray.melick@1819News.com.
