Former President Donald Trump yanked his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks in the Alabama Senate race after the congressman slipped in recent polls, announcing that he plans to back a new candidate in the May 24 Republican primary.

On Wednesday, Trump said he made the move because he was unhappy with Brooks’s rhetoric regarding the 2020 presidential election. But with Brooks trailing Republican primary opponents Katie Britt and Mike Durant in recent polls, it is just as likely the former president was interested in preserving his political credibility.

Alabama is a particularly pro-Trump red state, and a loss in the Senate primary there would have been a blemish on his status as a GOP kingmaker.

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“I am hereby withdrawing my Endorsement of Mo Brooks for the Senate. I don’t think the great people of Alabama will disagree with me,” Trump said in a lengthy statement. “I will be making a new Endorsement in the near future!”

Trump’s decision to drop Brooks comes after he told the Washington Examiner in an exclusive interview last week that he was “disappointed” with the congressman and considering other candidates in the Republican primary.

His options boil down to Britt, former chief of staff to retiring Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, and Durant, a businessman and military combat veteran. Although Brooks has the backing of the Club for Growth, Britt and Durant would appear to be the favored.

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On Monday, Durant met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private social club and political headquarters in Palm Beach, Florida, according to sources close to the Alabama Republican’s campaign.

Original Location: Trump pulls endorsement of Mo Brooks in Alabama Senate race

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