First woman elected as Alabama senator begins taking office
Katie Britt succeeds long-time Senator Richard Shelby
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Senator-elect Katie Britt (R-Ala.) went from working as Richard Shelby’s chief of staff to eventually replacing him as a U.S. senator.
Alabama now goes from having one of the oldest U.S. senators, Shelby is 87-years-old, to one of the youngest. Britt is 40-years-old.
Britt made her first trip to Congress decades ago as an intern for Shelby.
“Over 20 years ago,” Britt said, “and this very building. And then now to be here with my name on the door, it’s really surreal.”
Britt won her election with 66 percent of the vote. She is pitching herself as a family-friendly senator. Britt said she can deliver the change she says voters want.
“They want us to seal and secure our border,” Britt said. “They see what that’s doing in our communities from a safety perspective and what it’s doing with the fentanyl crisis. It’s not only hitting every community across Alabama, but schools and into families.”
Britt says she wants to carry on the Shelby’s legacy of making relationships and seizing opportunities, but she plans to make her own personal mark on the position.
“Make sure that I’m Senator Katie Britt,” Britt said. “I’m my own person. That I am walking forward and working hard for our parents across our state and nation.”
Britt’s term technically begins January 3, 2023.
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