Mo Brooks hits back on Luther Strange’s ‘deceptive attacks’ in Senate primary
Mo Brooks is hitting back on the recent wave of “deceptive attacks” from opponents in the Alabama’s U.S. Senate race. Brooks’ new ad is the latest push on Sen. Luther Strange over who is the true Donald Trump supporter in the increasingly heated midsummer Alabama Senate primary to serve the rest of Attorney General Jeff Session’s term. The 30-second “Support Trump,” which launched Tuesday, reaffirms his “strong support” of Trump’s agenda, touting he voted with the president “95 percent of the time in Congress.” Strange — who has enjoyed support from the Senate Leadership Fund, linked to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — has leveled waves of negative hits on Brooks, trying to paint the four-term Huntsville Republican congressman as a tepid (at best) Trump supporter and even a “closet liberal.” “There’s only one ‘Never Trumper’ in this race: Luther Strange,” said Brooks, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. “I supported President Trump in 2016 and wrote a $2,500 check to help him win. Luther never endorsed Trump, never donated and is now helping Mitch McConnell block the America First Agenda in the Senate.” “So, who are you going to believe: Mitch McConnell and Luther Strange?” he asks. With a “proven conservative” record, Brooks finishes his ad with a list of endorsements from leading “conservative thought leaders” such as Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Ann Coulter. Strange and Brooks are locked in a contentious primary battle, part of a nine-person GOP field that includes former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. All three are running for a place in the race’s staunch conservative lane in a state that overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016. Other Republican candidates in the race include Dr. James Beretta, Joseph Breault, Alabama Christian Coalition president Randy Brinson, Mary Maxwell, Bryan Peeples and state Sen. Trip Pittman of Baldwin County. As for who will ultimately represent Alabama, voters have less than two weeks to decide before the Aug. 15 Republican and Democratic primaries. The last day to apply for an absentee ballot is Aug. 10. If there is no primary winner — with 50 percent plus one — a runoff is Sept. 26; the general election is Dec. 12. “Support Trump” is now available on YouTube.
Mo Brooks tops in Huntsville straw poll, Luther Strange at bottom
Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks came out on top in a straw poll of U.S. Senate candidates at a candidate forum Monday in his hometown of Huntsville. AL.com reports that nine candidates took part in the event organized by the Christian Citizen Task Force, with a bipartisan audience of about 300 people. Out of 200 votes cast for Republicans, Brooks took first with 101 votes. Former state Supreme Chief Justice Roy Moore came in second with 74 votes; state Sen. Trip Pittman of Montrose received eight votes. Incumbent Republican Sen. Luther Strange — who did not attend the event — tied for sixth with only three votes. Three Republicans — James Beretta, Joseph Breault and Dom Gentile — received no votes. Democrats cast about 40 votes; leading the count was Brian McGee, who took 19 votes. According to AL.com, the candidates attending the forum were Democrats Will Boyd, Vann Caldwell and McGee; Republicans Randy Brinson, Brooks, Mary Maxwell, Moore, Bryan Peeples and Pittman. Appointed to the Senate in February by then-Governor Robert Bentley, Strange is facing a crowded 10-person field for the Aug. 15 Republican primary. A primary runoff, if necessary, will be Sept. 26, with a general election Dec. 12.
