Topline
Katie Britt, a first-term Republican senator from Alabama, will take center stage Thursday night, delivering the GOP response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
Key Facts
Britt, 42, was elected to the Senate in 2022, after earning the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and beating former Rep. Mo Brooks in the Republican Senate primary, after Trump soured on Brooks when he said Republicans should move past the 2020 election and turned down Trump’s request to reinstate him as president.
Britt is a staunch Trump supporter and has the former president’s public support with Trump telling Fox News last week Britt is “a very wonderful young senator.”
The first-term senator has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Trump in the upcoming election.
Last year, Britt was one of four senators from both sides of the aisle who introduced legislation to ban social media from kids under the age of 13 and would require permission from a guardian for anyone under the age of 18 to create an account.
Britt is a fierce Biden critic and in January voted against a temporary funding bill that would keep the government open while Congress attempted to pass full-year funding bills.
Big Number
10.5%. That’s the percentage of time Britt voted with Biden in 2023, according to data collected by FiveThirtyEight. By comparison, the average Republican senator voted with Biden 19%.
Key Background
Britt filled a seat vacated by longtime Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. Before becoming the youngest woman elected to the Senate, Britt received an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama. When she graduated, she went to work for Shelby in his press office. Years later, Britt returned to the University of Alabama to get her law degree. She worked at law firms in the state before returning to Shelby’s office to serve as his chief of staff in 2016. Britt later became the president of the Business Council of Alabama in 2018, and during the 2020 pandemic, led a campaign to “Keep Alabama Open” amidst the nationwide shutdown. Britt is a mother of two, is married to former NFL player Wesley Britt and lives in Montgomery, Ala.
Tangent
Britt’s nationwide address comes as her home state faces some controversy, after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos are considered children. Britt has defended in-vitro fertilization in the wake of the court’s decision, telling AL.com, “make no mistake—defending life and ensuring continued access to IVF services for loving parents are not mutually exclusive.” But the surprise decision has left some IVF patients in Alabama in limbo as some providers have paused their services in the wake of the court’s ruling. It also made IVF somewhat of a campaign issue in an election year.
What We Don’t Know
Britt hasn’t said much about what her Thursday remarks will focus on. In a statement she released after being selected, she touted her party’s focus on parents and families. Britt said Biden’s “failed presidency has made America weaker and more vulnerable at every turn.” Pointing to her and Biden’s ages, Britt said “it’s time for the next generation to step up and preserve the American Dream for our children and our grandchildren.”
Crucial Quote
“The American people will tune in as the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Senate turns the page on the oldest President in history,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement.
Surprising Fact
Britt has forged public relationships with Democrats in the Senate. Britt visited Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., after he was hospitalized for depression—the two became friends after being sworn in together. Britt also maintains a friendship with Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.
