Polls: Britt Has Significant Advantage over Brooks Headed into Next Week’s Alabama Senate GOP Runoff

According to two polls released on Thursday, former Business Council of Alabama president and CEO Katie Britt has a double-digit advantage over Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) with just five days to go until a Republican runoff election determines the GOP nominee for the November ballot.

An Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll conducted June 12-15 showed Britt with a double-digit lead over Brooks, 50% to 34%, with 17% of GOP voters undecided. When undecided voters were asked “who they are leaning toward and allocated,” the lead expanded to 18% — 59% for Britt and 41% for Brooks.

Forty-five percent of voters said the Trump endorsement, which came for Britt last week, made “no difference,” whereas 40% said they were more likely to vote for a candidate if Trump endorses them, and 16% said it makes them less likely to support a candidate.

“The Trump endorsement makes a more significant impact for voters without a college degree,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement accompanying the Emerson poll. “Half of voters without a college degree say a Trump endorsement makes them more likely to support a candidate, compared to 23% of those with a college degree or more. Whereas, 55% of voters with a college degree say it makes no difference on their vote compared to 28% of voters without a college degree.”

Additionally, an Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) poll conducted June 8-15 gave Britt a 50%-to-30% advantage over Brooks, with 20% categorized as “not sure.”

Also, according to the poll, nearly 53% of respondents indicated a favorable opinion of Britt compared to 32% for Brooks.

“The AUM Poll found that Britt’s support is higher among Alabama Republican voters who are better educated, wealthier, less supportive of Donald Trump, and more likely to believe that President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election,” David Hughes, associate professor of political science and director of the AUM Poll, said in a statement accompanying the AUM poll. “For example, among Alabama Republicans with a college degree, 57 percent support Britt compared to only 47 percent support among those with a high school degree or less.”

Prior to Trump’s endorsement, a poll from the Alabama Forestry Association conducted by McLaughlin & Associates gave Britt an 18.2% lead over Brooks.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary runoff election will face Democrat nominee Will Boyd on the November 8 ballot. The Republican nominee is expected to be heavily favored in ruby-red Republican-leaning Alabama.

Follow Jeff  Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor