Brooks 'Plowing Through' Controversy, Eyes Next Political Move

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Near the top of Representative Mo Brooks' necktie Monday night was a depiction of the Paul Revere engraving "The Fruits of Arbitrary Power, or the Bloody Massacre" — a world-famous work of art depicting the Boston Massacre of 1770 that became one of many symbols of the American Revolution.

It was an appropriate choice to appeal to his audience, too, as the 66-year-old Republican from Alabama's Fifth Congressional District steadily paced back and forth in a sermon-like rhythm speaking to a room of about 100 members of Bama Carry. Stopping short of calling his visit to Tuscaloosa a campaign stop, Brooks told Patch and the statewide pro-gun group that he intends to announce his future campaign plans on Monday, March 22 in his hometown of Huntsville.

Many have speculated that the controversial congressman and close ally of former President Donald Trump could be a candidate to run for the highly-coveted Senate seat that will be vacated by longtime Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, who will not seek re-election in 2022 .

Brooks also told Patch he hasn't ruled out a re-election bid for his current seat in the House of Representatives.

But while his close alignment with the Trump administration and participation in the events leading up to the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill have resulted in calls for his resignation, censorship and even litigation, he remains undeterred.

"You discover there is life after a lost election and you can plow right on through it," he told the crowd as he discussed the months after the insurrection and the backlash that followed. "If you want to come after me, come after me."

As he further turned the main topic of discussion to the recent controversy in Washington D.C., he referenced a phrase he said during the Jan. 6 rally, just prior to the mob leaving and descending on the Capitol as the 2020 election results were being certified.

During that speech, Brooks drew criticism for boisterously insisting to the crowd that it was time to start “taking down names and kicking ass," shortly before the destructive riot left five people dead, numerous others injured and temporarily stalled the certification of electoral votes.

"I talked about kicking a few derrières — my wife wants me to say derrières," he said with a laugh. "And that is absolutely protected under the First Amendment, but they are coming after me. But they ain’t going to slow me up because they’re dead wrong on this stuff."

Despite being embattled ahead of another campaign season, Brooks wears the ire of his opponents and those on the other side of the aisle as a badge of honor. At one point, he even joked that former House impeachment manager Eric Swalwell should be listed as an in-kind contributor to his re-election campaign for the exposure and support Brooks believes he'll receive after he was named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit along with former President Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani for their alleged roles in the events of Jan. 6.

Gun legislation was briefly discussed during his half-hour speaking engagement, but the focus of both his message and the interest of the audience centered on the 2020 election.

Brooks was an early outspoken critic of the results that saw President Joe Biden elected, claiming that it was a "lonely" endeavor at first that eventually gained some traction among Republicans before ultimately failing to yield results. He also provided a quick series of anecdotes concerning alleged evidence of voter fraud, claiming he believes anywhere from 800,000 to 1.7 million "illegal" ballots were cast.

Evidence has yet to substantiate the myriad claims made of impropriety at the ballot box during the 2020 election, but Brooks was adamant in criticizing his Democratic colleagues, accusing them of playing a role in what he and a segment of other Republicans believe to be a fraudulent outcome.

"These idiots are undermining our nation," he said, referring to Democrats and establishment Republicans such as Liz Cheney, the Wyoming representative who became a black sheep of the party after her support of the second impeachment of President Trump. "Now part of it is personal, it's greed, but part of it is they just aren't very smart when it comes to American history and civics. We all know what happened in 2020. Those folks stole the election and don’t let them tell you otherwise or the fake news media, because it ain’t true when they deny it."

While Brooks' association with former President Trump is a likely selling point for some conservative voters, a path to the Senate chamber will not be an easy one for the career politician from Huntsville, who is sure to face a wide field of well-funded challengers just to secure the GOP nomination.

One candidate to already throw her hat into the ring — Lynda Blanchard — also has close ties to the former Trump administration, serving as an ambassador to Slovenia. She is currently the CEO of the nonprofit 100X Development Foundation and announced her bid for the Senate seat in February following Shelby's announcement that he would not seek re-election.

Other names tossed around for a potential senate run on the Republican ticket have included former Congressman Bradley Byrne of Mobile, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth. Even former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a longtime senator before taking a cabinet position that would become his political undoing, has drawn some chatter. This comes even after Sessions lost his recent attempt to return to the Senate in the Republican Primary to former Auburn football coach and Trump ally Tommy Tuberville.

The list is much shorter for Alabama Democrats, with publications like AL.com speculating that Rep. Terri Sewell, in addition to former Sen. Doug Jones, who also lost to Tuberville, could mount a challenge. The statewide outlet also says another name that could be worth watching on the Democratic ticket is State Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of our latest sponsors? Email any and all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.