Former Congressman Mo Brooks is leaning heavily on his decades of elected experience as he seeks a return to the Alabama Legislature in the increasingly contentious Republican primary for House District 20.
Brooks said his campaign is centered on leadership, infrastructure accomplishments and his long record opposing tax increases.
“I want to talk about the successes that our community has had, in part because the leadership I have provided over the years as a state legislator, a county commissioner and United States congressman,” Brooks said in an interview with 256 Today.
The race has become increasingly heated in recent weeks, with Brooks (R-Huntsville) and incumbent State Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville) publicly criticizing one another over tax-related issues and legislative records.
Lomax, elected in 2022, currently serves as House Majority Whip. Brooks represented North Alabama in Congress from 2011 to 2023 after earlier service in the Alabama House and on the Madison County Commission.
During the interview, Brooks pointed to a series of transportation and quality-of-life projects he said he helped advance during his years in office.
“As a state legislator, I worked hard to get overpasses on Memorial Parkway,” Brooks said. “As Mayor Tommy Battle fondly said back then, I was instrumental in getting the funding for those Parkway overpasses over time. It was not just Airport Road and Golf Road all the way down to Whitesburg and Weatherly.”
Brooks also highlighted his record opposing taxes, noting that he was once ranked first by the Alabama Taxpayers Defense Fund in fighting tax increases.
“As a legislator, I ranked number one in the fight against higher taxes according to the Alabama Taxpayers Defense Fund, and I’m proud of that record of trying to protect family incomes from those people who want to grow the size of government,” Brooks said.
He additionally cited his involvement in projects including Jones Farm Park, Southside Park and improvements to East Hobbs Road and Cecil Ashburn Drive during his time on the Madison County Commission.
Brooks also referenced education appropriations he said supported schools in South Huntsville, Jones Valley and Hampton Cove.
On the federal level, Brooks pointed to his role in immigration battles during the Obama administration, his legislative track record in Congress and his efforts surrounding the decision to locate U.S. Space Command in Huntsville.
“One of the bigger things is the role that I played in making sure that Space Command came to Huntsville and was not taken from Huntsville,” Brooks said. “I was on the House Armed Services Committee, worked with the military brass to ensure that Huntsville’s interests were properly projected, worked with the Trump administration to try to make sure that we were the ones selected for Space Command.”
Brooks also addressed criticism that his lengthy political résumé represents the past rather than the future, responding to arguments from some Republicans calling for younger leadership.
“Well, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan, I never intended to take advantage of James Lomax’s youth and inexperience,” Brooks said. “But quite clearly, in my judgment, at least, the experience I’ve gained, the knowledge I’ve gained, the wisdom I’ve gained, would be an invaluable asset in the halls of the State House in Montgomery.”
Brooks argued that his experience would help him navigate complex legislation and avoid influence from lobbyists and special interests.
“There’s too much bad legislation that is becoming law, primarily because people either aren’t reading the bills or they don’t understand what they’re reading,” Brooks said. “With my experience, these lobbyists, these special interests, whoever the powers that be may be, they’re not going to be able to snooker me. They’re not going to be able to sneak it by like they might some rookie.”
