Former Business Council of Alabama CEO Katie Britt holds a comfortable lead over U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) with under two weeks to go until the U.S. Senate GOP primary runoff election, according to a recent survey conducted by nationally renowned polling firm McLaughlin & Associates.
The poll, which was commissioned by the Alabama Forestry Association (AFA), was conducted June 6-9 and consisted of 500 likely Republican primary runoff voters. Respondents were surveyed evenly between landline, cellphone and text message.
Poll results are as follows:
- Katie Britt: 54.6%
- Mo Brooks: 36.4%
- Undecided: 9%
Alongside holding an 18-point lead on the ballot test, Britt’s favorability among the Republican electorate is 23.4% higher than that of Brooks’.
The poll’s findings show that 61.4% of respondents hold a favorable view of the first-time candidate, while 49.0% view the six-term congressman as favorable.
Regarding negatives, 29% of participants hold an unfavorable view of Britt compared to Brooks’ 40.2%.
The most recent McLaughlin & Associates survey conducted prior to the May 24 primary contest showed Britt and Brooks at 37.4% and 25.2%, respectively. Compared to the firm’s poll made publicly available Friday, Britt has gained 17.2% support compared to Brooks’ 11.2%.
The comparison suggests that Brooks will need to garner more support from the primary’s third-place finisher, U.S. Army veteran Mike Durant, to close the gap with Britt. According to the poll, 16% of respondents voted for Durant in the primary election.
McLaughlin & Associates, which released numerous polls leading up to the May 24 contest, emerged as the most accurate pollster during the Republican U.S. Senate primary.
Britt and Brooks will meet for a final time in the June 21 Republican primary runoff election. The GOP nominee for the seat held by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) will face off against the Democratic Party’s nominee in the November 8 general election.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
