On Jan. 3, 2023, Katie Britt stood on the Senate floor, preparing to be sworn in not only as Alabama’s first female senator but, at 40 years old, the youngest Republican female senator ever.
In that moment, Britt also became the Senate’s only Republican mom with school-aged children. Her unique position mirrors what propelled her office run and what she stands for in the political sphere.
From her Senate run to delivering the 2024 GOP response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and leading a prayer at the 2025 National Prayer Breakfast, Britt, now 43, has wielded her voice to advocate for families and children, her perspective grounded on the Scriptures. Her Senate journey has been woven by God’s faithful presence—and His timely prompting in the form of tornadoes and the voices of her own children.
Britt, born and raised in Enterprise, Alabama, nestled in the Wiregrass region, heard the hope of the Gospel through her parents, Julian and Debra Boyd. Instilled with Biblical truths at a young age, Britt made an early profession of faith in Christ.
“I remember sitting in my PaPa’s den as a little girl while he walked me through the basics of the Gospel,” Britt told Decision, “impressing on me the all-important and everlasting truth that God loved me, and had demonstrated that by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for my sins.”
Her family sowed seeds of truth in her heart that grew into a passion for serving her state.
“The constant, faithful instruction and example of my parents and grandparents helped me see the world around me through the lens of faith. The values that were instilled in me cause me to want my life in public service to be grounded in Matthew 22:36-39: honoring God and loving my neighbors.”
Living outside Fort Rucker, the “Home of U.S. Army Aviation,” Britt quickly learned the principle of sacrifice from the families around her. The oldest of four sisters, she worked at her father’s hardware store and witnessed the dedicated labor he put into his small business. Her mother, who owned a dance studio, also served as a key model of perseverance.
Her parents’ example of faith and resilience followed her into the University of Alabama, where she studied political science. On her first day of class, she crossed paths with Wesley Britt, an offensive tackle for the university’s football team. Little did she know their conversation would stretch into a seven-year friendship before transforming into a romance and then marriage.
Following her 2004 graduation, she worked as deputy press secretary for Richard Shelby, a longtime U.S. senator from Alabama, before moving up to press secretary. On March 8, 2008, she married Wesley, who was then playing for the New England Patriots after San Diego took him in the NFL’s 2005 draft. After she earned her juris doctorate degree in 2013, she returned to Shelby’s office and eventually became his chief of staff.
After Shelby announced his retirement in 2021, Britt sensed a call to run for his seat. She and Wesley sought discernment and confirmation that God was truly leading her to run, knowing the difficulties and sacrifices she would have to make, such as leaving her role as president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama.
“When I started being mentioned as a potential candidate, I prayed a lot about whether to get into the race. I prayed to God that He would send me some sort of sign to help me make that decision.”
The signs appeared directly through the people closest to her and Wesley—their children, Bennett and Ridgeway.
First, their son, Ridgeway, 10 years old at the time, presented a carefully drawn-up presentation of why she should run. “People need to know how much you love Jesus,” he said.
When she explained that politicians can be nasty and that the environment often isn’t positive, she witnessed his faith as he said, “That’s because not enough good people are in it.”
Their daughter, Bennett, the oldest, was a bit more forward.
“Mama, you have to run,” she told Britt.
“I told her I appreciated the confidence she had in me but that running for Senate—not to mention winning a Senate race—is an incredibly difficult thing to do. Her response was the second sign that I should take the leap. ‘Well, Mama,’ Bennett said, ‘doesn’t God call you to do hard things?’”
Britt said it took her children to remind her that while God calls us to do hard things, He also walks with us through it all.
For example, Britt recalled a past experience of God’s saving power in their family’s life, and a wonderful reminder of what it means to live as a child of God.
On April 27, 2011, one of the worst tornado outbreaks in U.S. history ravaged homes in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the family lived at the time. Alerted that the tornado was ripping through their area, Wesley folded a mattress over the family, including Katie’s two visiting sisters, in a space tucked between two closets in a bedroom. In the midst of the storm, the family sang “Jesus Loves Me” with the children and prayed, trying to keep Bennett, 2, and Ridgeway, 1, from crying. When the family emerged from their hiding place, they found the entire roof gone, along with the majority of their home. They later discovered that the EF4 tornado had killed 64 people, including a neighbor, and injured 1,500.
Mere weeks after the tragedy, Britt was driving in a borrowed car with Bennett when her daughter asked where Jesus went.
“I told her He didn’t go anywhere and is always with us, but that didn’t cut it. She asked again, ‘Where did Jesus go, Mommy?’ I replied, ‘Nowhere, sweetie. He’s in our hearts; He’s always with us.’ That didn’t do the trick either. The third time she asked me, I knew there was something more. I asked her, ‘Bennett, did you see Jesus?’”
Bennett said she felt that Jesus was with her and her younger brother during the tornado, and she wanted that again.
“From that day,” Britt said, “I’ve never forgotten to have the faith of a child, knowing that God will literally walk with us if we ask.”
Her conviction that God calls believers to undertake hard things in the pursuit of His will, prompted by her children’s faith, steered her to run, leading to her ultimate win in Alabama’s election for the U.S. Senate.
Driving her is also her concern for future generations and ensuring that opportunities are preserved for them—another big-picture part of motherhood.
“There are numerous policy areas where being a mom and hearing from other moms has provided me both insight into what’s affecting families and the sense of urgency necessary to get things done. Being a mom is integral to my role in the Senate and influences every decision and vote that I make.”
Among the bills she’s introduced and cosponsored are policies that protect the nuclear family, unborn children and vulnerable youth and mothers, as well as children suffering from homelessness.
The importance of family influenced her prayer at the 2025 National Prayer Breakfast. Seared in her mind as she prayed was “the knowledge that our country’s resistance to Biblical truth is leading to many different forms of brokenness. We’ve seen a weakening of the nuclear family—the foundation of any society—an increase in drug and alcohol abuse, and a rapidly escalating mental health crisis.”
By trusting God’s way, the nation can heal, Britt says, noting that the Bible’s wisdom and instruction comes from a loving Father who knows how His created people can truly flourish.
Britt is guided by 1 Peter 4:10, which states, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms,” (NIV).
Every Christian, whether young or old, has the ability to make a positive impact wherever God has planted them, she says.
“We all have a responsibility to put our God, our family, our friends and our country above our own personal interests. That service to our communities and our nation can take many different shapes.” ©2025 BGEA
Photo: Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images