Donald Trump's endorsed candidate struggles as old and new Republican parties clash in Senate race

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Politics

Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate struggles as old and new Republican parties clash in Alabama Senate race

By Michael Scherer
Today at 6:00 a.m. EST

Rep. Mo Brooks leaves little doubt about how he hopes to win the Republican primary for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat next year. The words “Endorsed by Trump” precede his name in his campaign logo, and the same message is printed in his Twitter handle.

But eight months after receiving the former president’s highest blessing in one of the nation’s reddest states, Brooks is still struggling to win Trump’s approval behind the scenes, and his standing has begun to fade in the state amid fierce competition.

As a result, Alabama is once again set up to host one of the most suspenseful Senate primaries in the country, with outside groups and candidates preparing to spend millions in a contest that will help shape the tone and tenor of the Republican caucus and the future face of conservative governance in the Deep South.

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By Michael Scherer
Michael Scherer is a national political reporter at The Washington Post. He was previously the Washington bureau chief for Time magazine, where he also served as the White House correspondent. Before joining Time, he was the Washington correspondent for Salon.com. Twitter https://twitter.com/michaelscherer