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FIRST ON FOX – The GOP political action committee Winning for Women (WFW) is endorsing Katie Britt and Jane Timken in the Republican Senate primaries in Alabama and Ohio, taking sides in two of the biggest intra-party battles of 2022.
The endorsements could be a sign of building momentum behind the two campaigns, as WFW-backed candidates have an 87% winning percentage in primary races, according to FiveThirtyEight.
"I am honored to have the endorsement of Winning For Women. I proudly share and will fight in the U.S. Senate for the organization’s core values of economic freedom and strong national security," Britt, who's running to replace retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said in a statement.
"I’m honored to receive the endorsement of Winning For Women and join the ranks of bold, qualified, Conservative women taking a stand across the country," Timken said. "Our shared values of economic freedom and strong national security are under attack from the radical Left as inflation soars, a porous Southern Border threatens communities, and our Constitutional liberties are ignored."
Republican Alabama Senate candidate Katie Britt speaks to "Fox & Friends" on June 10, 2021. The Republican PAC Winning for Women is endorsing Britt Monday. (Fox & Friends)
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The Britt endorsement is notable because she is in the middle of a bruising primary battle against Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Brooks was the first congressman to announce that he would object to the certification of the 2020 election. Trump held a rally in Alabama for Brooks last year.
Britt is a former staffer for Shelby. His decision not to run for reelection left open a Senate seat in deep red Alabama, which Britt and Brooks have emerged as the frontrunners to win.
Britt recently was the president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama. She emphasizes her Christian faith in her campaign.
Timken, meanwhile, is the former chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party who was elected in 2017 as part of a wave of pro-Trump state party leaders nationwide. Trump supported her in 2016 when she ran for that role, according to Cleveland.com.
Trump hasn't endorsed anyone in the Senate race yet. But Timken is endorsed by top Trump ally Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
Former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken speaks at former President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again Rally on July 25, 2017 in Youngstown, Ohio. Timken is now running for Senate in Ohio and is being endorsed Monday by the GOP PAC Winning for Women. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
WFW is also endorsing former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus – who is endorsed by Trump.
After leaving the State Department where she served under the former president, Ortagus appeared regularly on Fox News' "Outnumbered" last year. She announced her campaign for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District last week after Trump endorsed her last month. Trump called Ortagus "an absolute warrior for America First and MAGA!"
"I'm grateful for everything Winning For Women does to support conservative women candidates. I'm honored to have them join President Trump on my team, as I seek to fight for Tennessee’s conservative values in Congress. Now, let's take back the House and retire Nancy Pelosi!" Ortagus said in a statement.
Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., currently represents Tennessee's fifth district, but he's retiring after the Tennessee legislature's redistricting turned his seat to be a GOP majority district. Democrat Odessa Kelly appears as if she will be the Democrat nominee for the seat, while Ortagus faces several other GOP candidates in the GOP primary.
Former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus answers the questions during a press conference in Washington, United States on September 12, 2019. Ortagus is now running for Congress in Tennessee and is being endorsed by the GOP PAC Winning for Women Monday. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
WFW was an early backer of several female candidates who were key to House Republicans significantly outperforming expectations in 2020. Among them was Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., who unseated Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., in the Miami-area district that voted for President Biden over Trump.
So far this cycle, WFW has endorsed several House GOP candidates including Amanda Adkins in Kansas, Lisa Scheller in Pennsylvania, Esther Joy King in Iowa, and Monica De La Cruz in Texas.
WFW is also endorsing Tiffany Smiley in the Washington Senate race and Tanya Contreras Wheeless in the Arizona 4th Congressional District race Monday.
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Smiley seeks to unseat Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who's been in office since 1992 in a seat that's rated "Safe D" by the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., is the current representative for the fourth district in Arizona. But he was redistricted to the newly-created 9th Congressional District, while incumbent Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., was drawn into the 4th district, which leans Democrat by one percentage point, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Contreras Wheeless faces a very crowded GOP primary, which will happen on Aug. 2.
"The opportunity to flip both the House and the Senate comes down to ensuring Republicans support qualified, exceptional candidates," WFW founder and chair Annie Dickerson said. "Winning For Women PAC is thrilled to back these five women who have run large organizations, served our country, put themselves through college, and raised families."
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