State Rep. James Lomax survives high-profile challenge from former Congressman Mo Brooks in closely watched Huntsville-area race
State Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville) defeated former U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in Tuesday’s Republican primary for Alabama House District 20, prevailing in what became one of the most closely watched and contentious legislative races in Alabama this election cycle.
According to unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State Office, Lomax received 61% of the vote to Brooks’ 39%.
The race drew statewide attention after Brooks entered the contest at the last minute, launching a comeback bid for a seat he first won in 1982. Brooks said supporters convinced him to return to public office after raising more than $100,000 for the campaign in a matter of days.
Lomax, first elected in 2022 and currently serving as House Majority Whip, immediately framed the race as a battle between a new generation of Republican leadership and what he described as decades of “chaos” and political grandstanding.
Over the course of the campaign, the two Republicans repeatedly clashed over taxes, conservative credentials, leadership style and their respective records in office.
In one particularly sharp exchange, Lomax accused Brooks of supporting numerous tax increases during his years in the Alabama Legislature, while Brooks called the attacks misleading and pointed to rankings from taxpayer advocacy groups that previously named him among Alabama’s top anti-tax lawmakers.
The contest also became a test of political influence inside Alabama Republican politics.
Lomax secured a series of powerful endorsements from prominent state and local leaders, including Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville).
“When Space Command announced and we were looking for resources, James Lomax was one of our first calls,” Battle previously said. “Today, when we need collaboration, whether on roads, industrial development or infrastructure, we turn to James Lomax.”
Ledbetter also publicly criticized Brooks’ return to politics and backed Lomax early in the race.
Throughout the campaign, Lomax highlighted his role in recent Republican legislative priorities, including education funding increases, teacher pay raises, the CHOOSE Act school choice legislation and more than $1.5 billion in tax cuts passed during his first term.
“The crown jewel of the last four years is that we’ve been able to cut $1.5 billion in taxes,” Lomax said during the campaign. “We’re just trying to make life more affordable.”
Brooks, meanwhile, leaned heavily on his decades-long conservative record and argued voters knew his track record fighting for limited government and lower taxes.
The race became increasingly personal in its closing weeks, with both campaigns issuing blistering statements and attempting to define the other as out of touch with Republican voters in the fast-growing Huntsville district.
Lomax will face Democrat James Linderholm in the November general election. However, District 20, which covers portions of southeast Huntsville, is considered one of the safest Republican seats in North Alabama.
