Katie Britt

This is an opinion column

When I arrived in Washington to work for Senator Jeff Sessions in 1999, Alabama’s Senate delegation featured two vastly different men.

Jeff Sessions was a respected conservative voice with deep expertise on legal and constitutional issues. As a former United States Attorney and Alabama Attorney General, he quickly became an influential member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and earned a reputation for preparation, integrity, and conviction. Nobody questioned his character. Nobody questioned his work ethic.

But Sessions and Richard Shelby wielded influence differently.

Sessions built influence through ideas and expertise. Shelby built power.

By the time Shelby retired, he had become one of the most consequential senators in America. He chaired both the Banking Committee and the Appropriations Committee. He directed billions of dollars in federal investments back to Alabama. In many years, Alabama received far more from Washington than its taxpayers sent there. Governors, members of Congress, business leaders, university presidents, and local elected officials all understood the same thing: when Richard Shelby spoke, people listened.

Perhaps nobody learned that lesson better than Katie Britt.

Before becoming Alabama’s junior senator, Britt served as Shelby’s chief of staff during the closing chapter of his Senate career. She had a front-row seat to how political capital is accumulated, protected, and deployed. More importantly, she learned that influence only matters if you’re willing to use it.

Three years into her Senate career, Britt has emerged as the most influential political figure in Alabama not named Donald Trump.

Whether one agrees with her politics or not, the evidence is difficult to dispute.

In politics, there are endorsements, and then there are endorsements that change the trajectory of races. Senator Britt’s support increasingly falls into the latter category.

The recent congressional races in Alabama provide the clearest example.

Former Congressman Jerry Carl hardly needed an introduction. He has already served in Congress. He has won competitive elections, built a fundraising network, and established relationships throughout the First Congressional District. Senator Britt’s endorsement certainly helps him, but Carl was already a formidable candidate.

The story is different in the Second Congressional District.

State Representative Rhett Marques entered the race with a strong conservative record and a promising future. But he was still a state legislator seeking a promotion to Congress. For candidates in that position, securing the support of Alabama’s junior senator can be transformational.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Britt didn’t simply endorse Marques. She helped elevate him. She put her credibility behind his candidacy and, perhaps most importantly, helped secure the endorsement that Republican candidates want above all others: Donald Trump’s.

Read the president’s endorsement announcement carefully. The message is unmistakable. Senator Britt advocated for Marques, and the president listened.

That should tell Alabama politicians everything they need to know about where Senator Britt stands today within Republican politics.

Richard Shelby spent decades building a political operation capable of shaping elections. Candidates sought his blessing because they understood the practical realities of Alabama politics. His support brought credibility, donors, and momentum. His opposition could be fatal.

Anyone who doubts that should remember Roy Moore.

In 2017, Shelby’s refusal to support Moore spoke volumes. He didn’t need a television commercial or a direct attack. His disapproval alone helped shape the outcome of one of the most consequential elections in modern Alabama history.

Katie Britt is not Richard Shelby. Nobody is.

But she is increasingly occupying the role Shelby once held.

Her support opens fundraising networks. It attracts national attention. It signals to donors, activists, and political professionals where the race is heading. And perhaps most importantly, it now appears to carry significant weight with President Trump himself.

That reality should be especially concerning for Rhett Marques’ opponents.

Running against a candidate endorsed by President Trump is difficult. Running against a candidate endorsed by President Trump and personally backed by Senator Katie Britt is something else entirely.

For Jerry Carl, Senator Britt’s support helps solidify a candidacy that was already well-established. For Marques, her support fundamentally changed the dynamics of the race. One endorsement strengthened an already strong candidate. The other elevated a rising political figure onto the national stage and delivered the support necessary to clear much of the field.

The broader story isn’t about Jerry Carl or Rhett Marques.

It’s about the emergence of Alabama’s next power center.

Jeff Sessions earned respect because of his character and convictions. Richard Shelby earned influence through mastery of the institution. Katie Britt appears to be combining elements of both traditions while building a political operation of her own.

Like Shelby before her, she understands that political capital is meant to be spent. More importantly, she understands that leadership means taking ownership of outcomes. Great political leaders don’t merely react to events, they shape them. Increasingly, that is exactly what Senator Britt is doing.

And if recent events are any indication, Alabama’s next generation of political leaders has already figured out an important truth:

If you want to succeed in Republican politics, having Katie Britt in your corner is becoming one of the most valuable endorsements in the state.

The Carl and Marques endorsements didn’t just help two candidates. They sent a message to every ambitious Republican in Alabama: Senator Katie Britt has become one of the most important political voices in the state. Ignore that reality at your own peril.