Cover Story
In considering Katie Britt’s credentials it might be no surprise to you that she represents the state of Alabama in the U.S. Senate. Her academic and professional background is proof of her qualifications, and her life with a former Alabama football star and two young children might make her life seem charmed. Britt, however, might tell you a different story and stress the fact that it’s been the hard stuff that has made her the person she is today. She feels strongly that God has brought her through tough times with a specific plan for her life.
Path to Washington. Britt’s path to politics began in earnest when she served as the Student Government Association president at the University of Alabama and then went on to earn a law degree at the school in 2013. Work followed as deputy press secretary for Alabama senator Richard Shelby, special assistant to University of Alabama president James Witt, lawyer at a Birmingham law firm, and then president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama from 2018 to 2021 while working as Senator Shelby’s chief of staff. When she was elected in 2022 to the U.S. Senate in a tightly contested race, she became the first woman to be elected to the Senate from the state and also the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Senate. She also proudly declares that she’s the only Republican senator with school-aged children.
While those professional accolades are noteworthy, Britt’s earlier experiences are even more remarkable in relation to how she has climbed the ladder of political success. In conversations as well as in her newest book, God Called Us to Do Hard Things, she recalls the importance of her growing-up years and how they impacted her life direction. Born in Enterprise, she proudly claims the Wiregrass–the area stretching along the coastal plain from southeastern Alabama to southern Georgia and northern Florida–as home. The people there, she said, instilled a love of service and a reliance on faith. “The area where I grew up was ruled by agriculture, small business, and the military, and I was taught from an early age that the most important things are faith, family, and freedom,” Britt said. “I watched my parents run two small businesses, teaching me about hard work and the importance of seizing opportunities.”
One of four daughters, Britt said her parents gave them direction and encouraged her and her sisters to find their path. “There was an understanding that we were meant to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives,” she said. “They taught us that we were created in God’s image and God had a purpose for each of us.” Britt often references her time in the region (her new book even has the subtitle “Lessons from the Alabama Wiregrass”), while also committing to serving the people who live there now. A recent trip to a public magnet school in Mobile gave Britt the opportunity to encourage the younger generation- and she said it was more meaningful than much of her work in Washington. “The students there asked better questions about civics than I got on the campaign trail,” she laughed, “and it really hit me that I have the opportunity to represent all the people of the state. I reminded them how bright our country’s future is because of them.” In that presentation, she also encouraged the students that it’s often the valleys of life that teach you the most important lessons. “If you’re honest about your situation and then allow God to use that situation to prepare you, you’re better prepared for what life has for you,” she said. “You have to trust Him.” That message is vital to Britt, especially as she remembers the challenges she’s had. From a close call in the April 2011 tornado outbreak in Tuscaloosa while holding her new baby in her arms to the challenges of running an upstart political campaign to struggling with an illness soon after taking office, the struggles are what have motivated Britt.
Family and Faith. Alongside Britt in both the good and challenging times are husband Wesley and their daughter Bennett, 14, and son Ridgeway, 13. Wesley was an offensive tackle at Alabama from 2001-2004, earning 1st team All SEC honors three times during his time in Tuscaloosa, and then played in the NFL from 2005-2009. The couple met while in college but remained only friends for seven years. They’ll celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary in March, and Britt credits her family for keeping her on track. “Wesley’s a remarkable Christian man and was one of the first people I met at Alabama. I saw him deal with struggles with the team because he came in thinking he’d have one head coach. He ended up having four,” she said. “He had to learn resiliency and how to be a leader in challenging times.” Wesley grew up in Cullman and she in Enterprise, where her family worshiped at First Presbyterian Church where her grandparents had been instrumental in forming the congregation. Today, the Britts attend First United Methodist Church in Montgomery.
When Britt pondered running for the Senate, she relied on Wesley and her children for guidance; she prayed for Wesley’s “heart and mind” to guide their decision and they together prayed for their family and children. Ultimately, she says that one specific experience with her daughter encouraged her to keep going. “At one point I was polling at two percent and it was hard being away from the kids while campaigning. I was really questioning things,” she recalled. “But then Bennett set me down and told me I had to run. She said she wanted people to know I was a good momma and that I loved Jesus. When I told her it was hard, she looked me right in the eye and said, ‘Doesn’t God call you to do hard things?’”
Telling her Story. That and other stories made it into her book, which was published this past November. Her book publisher originally wanted her to focus on her career path, but after many of her experiences- including her visit to the Mobile magnet school- she proposed a different idea. “I wanted to talk about the valleys and the lessons we learned,” she said. “I told those kids that day that the world will knock you down, but I asked them to promise me that they would stand back up. The publishers came back and asked if I could tell the stories that I tell people.” Chapters include such topics as being unafraid to fall, breaking past limits people put on themselves, and being an agent of change. “One chapter is called ‘Falling to Finding my Way’ and it talks about things that didn’t go right and when I wasn’t successful,” she said. “I looked back and thought about everything that happened to put me on this path. What would have happened if I never ran for the SGA at Alabama? We have a plan, but God has a greater plan.”
-Cheryl Wray
