Outside of President Donald Trump, and maybe Parler, nobody has been more criticized for their role in the Jan. 6 Washington D.C. protest rally turned angry mob storming the Capitol than Congressman Mo Brooks. The Huntsville Republican is facing possible censure and even expulsion by the House of Representatives for his objections to the 2020 election and his speech to Trump loyalists telling them to “kick ass.”
Brooks has been widely criticized by pundits, Democrats and even many Alabama Republicans, usually speaking off the record to journalists rather than on the record with their names attached.
Brooks acknowledged that he is not popular with “establishment” Republicans.
“On the Republican side, you’ve got establishment folks that are kind of squishy,” Brooks told Jeff Poor on Poor’s talk radio show. “They see the federal government as a vehicle by which you can get special benefits, tax favors or money, and they want congressmen and senators who can kind of work behind the scenes and cut whatever deals there are to be cut to improve the financial stature of what Jeff Sessions called our ‘masters of the universe’ crowd. They are very, very uncomfortable with my taking of positions of the conservative nature.”
According to Brooks, recent polling suggests that he still has the support of the people of Alabama. APR has not been able to independently verify the poll or review the poll’s specifics.
“The vast, vast majority of the rank and file Republicans — they’re very supportive,” Brooks said. “There have been two polls done one with 1,100 Republican primary voters in Alabama. My name ID statewide is up to 81 percent. My favorable-unfavorable ratio is about 3.5 favorable to 1 unfavorable. That’s gold in any kind of election to have that kind of margin. And then there was one done last in my congressional district, and in the 5th Congressional District, where voters know me better and they like the principled positions I take, the favorable-unfavorable ratio amongst Republicans was 4.5 to 1. That’s excellent. That’s outstanding.”
“While Socialist Democrats in Washington and their Fake News media allies have viciously and falsely attacked me because I took a stand for honest and accurate elections, the Alabama people who know me best overwhelmingly support the strong positions I’ve taken,” Brooks said on social media. “It has been humbling to receive such an outpouring of support upon my return home. Thank you, Alabama!”
On Wednesday, Brooks spoke to the Republican Women of Huntsville and received a warm welcome including a standing ovation.
“I’ve been deeply humbled to receive such tremendous support and a warm welcome from the folks in Alabama who know me best after my stand for honest and accurate elections,” Brooks said afterward. “Thanks to the Republican Women of Madison for letting me stop by and for all you do for America!”
On Saturday, Brooks spoke to a “free speech rally” at Frederick’s Outdoors and was again welcomed by his supporters.
Despite threats of censure and even expulsion from Congress, Brooks has not softened his tone.
“I have been convinced for two and a half months, the United States of America has just endured the worst voter fraud in history,” Brooks told the crowd of 500 supporters. Dozens of courts found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Brooks’ popularity with Republicans, if it turns out to be true, could have major implications moving forward as U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, is expected to retire when his current term ends in 2022. It is no secret that Brooks has Senate aspirations.
Brooks ran for Senate in 2017, but finished third behind former Chief Justice Roy Moore and appointed Sen. Luther Strange. The 2020 objection to the election has greatly increased Brooks’ profile and name recognition, while other Senate contenders — former Congressman Bradley Byrne, Secretary of State John Merrill, former Sen. Jeff Sessions, and Moore — are all coming off a loss in the 2020 election cycle. The people of Alabama preferred a former college football coach who ran on his closeness to Trump to any of those candidates or to Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama.
