7 Things: Biden visited Alabama but refuses to visit the border, Durant tries the hard sell on his newly-found love of election integrity and more …

7. Brooks remains defiant and won’t participate in “witch hunt”

The House panel currently investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol recently requested U.S. Representative Mo Brooks’ (R-Huntsville) assistance in its investigation relating to comments former President Donald Trump made to Brooks about removing President Joe Biden from office. However, Brooks has denied this request due to the upcoming May 24 primary where he is a candidate for U.S. Senate.
Brooks said about denying the committee’s request, “At one time I would have voluntarily testified before the Nancy Pelosi Witch Hunt Committee provided the testimony was public, the questioners were Congressmen, and the questions were limited to events related to January 6…I’ve already given numerous sworn affidavits and public statements about January 6. At this moment in time, right before the Alabama U.S. Senate election, if they want to talk, they’re gonna have to send me a subpoena, which I will fight.”

6. Alabama congressional candidate knows Democrats will fight to keep Roe v. Wade

Madison County Commission chair and congressional candidate Dale Strong has shared his opinion on the recently leaked news that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, a move that would give states the ability to individually govern abortion laws within their borders.
Strong is expecting Democrat pushback from the decision, saying that “they’re going to do everything they can to stop this.” He added, “I think it’s going to energize the conservatives throughout the country. I believe there’s a lot more of us than there are of them.” Strong went on to say that the leak was an intentional move by liberals “trying to put the pressure on the five conservatives” on the U.S. Supreme Court.

5. Ohio the first battleground of 2022

The battle for the U.S. Senate has started in Ohio with a general election setting up to be contested between conservative author Republican J.D. Vance and U.S. Representative Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). The seat is currently held by U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and is considered a must hold for Republicans to take the chamber in November.
Vance beat former state treasurer Josh Mandel by close to 90,000 votes in a state where the endorsement of former President Donald Trump will be credited with giving Vance the victory.

4. Shelby wants to see defense spending increase

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense meeting said that there needed to be an increase in spending for the Department of Defense included in President Joe Biden’s budget for 2023.
Shelby noted that the requested increase was only 4.6% and said that considering inflation, “the Department’s budget request equates to a cut to our national defense at a time of unprecedented security risks. I have to say that I am a bit confused and more than concerned by this somewhat anemic request.” Later, Shelby added that he’s “growing increasingly concerned that years and years of misplaced spending priorities may leave us incapable of meeting both current and future threats.”

3. Overturning Roe v. Wade leak will be investigated

While it has been released that the U.S. Supreme Court will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, it’s been made clear that the leak that caused this news to be made public will be investigated, according to Chief Justice John Roberts.
The court released a statement saying, “Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issue in the case.” Roberts released his own opinion, stating, “To the extent this betrayal of confidence of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed.” The chief justice is also calling for an investigation into the leak by the Marshal of the Court. The court has made it clear that the leak was a draft and not the official or final decision.

2. Durant wouldn’t have voted to certify the election, but he also hasn’t voted in elections

U.S. Senate candidate Mike Durant has released a new campaign ad claiming that he would not have voted to certify the 2020 presidential election, saying, “The American people were robbed in 2020. Democrats changed the rules.” In the ad, Durant goes on to say, “I never would have voted to certify that election, and until we have election integrity, the left will continue to cheat. They gave us open borders, rising inflation and assault our way of life. We need a senator who is tough enough to fight back.”
Durant previously stated that election integrity wasn’t a priority of his, but his public stance changed after former President Donald Trump removed his endorsement from U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) in the U.S. Senate race. Additionally, Durant hasn’t even been a prolific voter in Alabama, according to Allen Harris in the Opelika-Auburn News, who reported, “Durant has only voted in one Republican Primary his entire life – when John McCain was running in 2008; hence, Mr. Durant never voted for Trump in a primary, and he’s never once voted for an Alabama governor, sheriff or state legislator.”

1. Republican governors want Biden at the border, not in Alabama

President Joe Biden visited Alabama’s Lockheed Martin facility in Troy, and Governor Kay Ivey was not in attendance for Biden’s visit. During this time, a group of Republican governors called out how Biden continues to ignore the crisis at the southern border.
The Republican Governors Association said, “It is always a special day when the President of the United States visits the state. However, Alabamians would be better served by President Biden making his first-ever trip to the southern border – instead of the Yellowhammer State where Kay Ivey has things running just fine.”