One of the lingering discussions of the 2022 U.S. Senate campaign in Alabama has been about upstart Mike Durant, who, according to a recent poll, is out front in the race for the GOP nod and his possible association with so-called Never Trump or moderate-leaning political groups.
Friday, during an appearance on Birmingham radio 105.5 WERC's "Alabama's Morning News," a caller prompted host JT Nysewander to inquire about those reports and swirling rumors.
Durant shrugged off support from those groups and said he could not explain why some groups and individuals support who they support.
However, he speculated that some of the support from the outside groups could be a product of being against a candidate instead of being for another one.
"There's a lot of donations that go into all campaigns," he said. "And, you know, it's very difficult to understand why people decide to support different candidates. There's a lot of money going into everybody's PACs and super PACs. I can't really explain why but it does go on. There is big money, and there is going to be more big money contributed over the next several weeks. Unfortunately, that's what pays for the negative advertising, which none of us like. But usually, it's the super PACs that are doing all of that."
Durant also rejected claims he was a "Never Trumper" and downplayed his knowledge of the Lincoln Project.
"I'm not a Never Trump, and again, I don't think the Lincoln Project even exists anymore," Durant replied. "I don't know. I honestly heard of it one time before I got into this race, and it is because they pushed a video out that actually had me in it because they were showing POWs. And I don't know what their agenda was, but they never asked me to do it, and they just did it on their own. That's kind of how this stuff works. People just do things without your permission."
Nysewander pressed Durant on the More Perfect Union PAC connection and asked if there could be future obligations for their support.
"Like I said, you get money from all over -- you get money from all over, and you cannot control that," he said. "People are going to donate to who they're want to donate. It's typically more about who they don't want to see in office and not necessarily who they do want to see in office. And again, it goes back to that negative advertising. The reason that Mo is getting attacked by the super PAC that supports Katie is they don't want him in office. The reason that Katie is being attacked by the super PAC that supports Mo is they don't want her in office.
"And again, I'm not defending either one of those candidates," Durant added. "Obviously, I'm running against them. But they don't have control over that, just like I don't have control over who is supporting me. All I can tell you is I am a conservative Republican that is in this race to do what's right for the citizens of Alabama and the people of this country. I've already proven that after 22 years of service. I'm a business owner. I'm not a career politician. I'm certainly not in it for the money. I'm in it to do the right thing."
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