Mo Brooks expresses an interest in taking Shelby’s seat in the Senate

Rep. Mo BrooksMorris (Mo) Jackson Brooks Democrats Should Make The Bee-Gees The Face Of Republican Party Ocasio-Cortez Says She’s Survivor Of Sexual Assault As She Talks Riot Freedom Caucus Chairman Blows Out ‘Sensational Lies’ After Capitol -rel MORE (R-Ala.) Said Monday he is interested in running for the Senate in the wake of Sen. Richard ShelbyRichard Craig Shelby Sen. Shelby Considers Retirement: AP The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented By Facebook – Democrats Plot Course to Meet Biden’s COVID-19 Contingency Plan Overnight Energy: Auto Makers Pull Out of California Vehicle Emissions Lawsuit | Senate Confirms Buttigieg as Transport Secretary | Republicans introduce long shot bill to bypass Biden on Keystone XL MORE(R-Ala.) announcement that he will not be seeking a new term in 2022.

Brooks, an important ally from the past President TrumpDonald Trump Dominion Spokesman: Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow ‘begs to be charged’ DC officers defending Capitol, Sicknick’s family honored at Super Bowl US will rejoin UN Human Rights Council: MORE report, has come under fire by Democrats and some in his own party for his role in the GOP’s efforts to reverse the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, a push that sparked the Capitol uprising that killed five people , including a Capitol Police officer.

But Brooks said the criticism he faced helped boost his profile and help him in a primary race.

“I am running for election in 2022, either for my seat in the House or for the seat of the Alabama Senate,” Brooks said in a statement.

“In all fairness, the last three months of disgraceful and tangible false attacks on me by Socialist Democrats and their fake news media contemporaries have been a great blessing for sending my national name ID and Republican primary support through the roof.”

Brooks has been a staunch supporter of Trump, which some argue will give him a boost in the scarlet state. He ran to the upper room in vain in a special election in 2017, where he eventually finished third in the primaries. But Brooks supporters feel his odds are greater in this cycle.

Mo would be the undisputed Trump candidate in the most Trump-like states – with high name ID for the entire state and more than a million in cash to boot. What angle could another challenger even try with Alabama voters? a GOP agent told The Hill.

Shelby, 86, announced he would not run for a seventh term on Monday.

In addition to Brooks, sources familiar with the Alabama GOP political landscape speculate Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, Shelby’s former Chief of Staff Katie Boyd Britt and Rep. Gary PalmerGary James PalmerCapitol Police Tribute Changes Politics OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Nine Including Former Michigan Governor Indicted Over Flint Water Crisis | Regulator Completes Rule Forcing Banks To Serve Oil & Weapons Companies | Trump admin adds hurdle to raise efficiency standards for furnaces and boilers READ: The Republicans Who Voted To Challenge Election Results MORE (R-Ala.) Could jump into the race.

Former Rep. Bradley ByrneBradley Roberts ByrneEx-Rep. Mike Conaway, Former Assistant Launch Lobby Firm Lobby World Lawmakers Grouse Pentagon About Trump’s Shooting In Germany MORE (R-Ala.), Who was defeated in the primary for the seat now occupied by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Said he is leaning against another point but leaving his options open.

“I’m not thinking about the race at the moment. The primary is far away and I don’t feel the need to think about it now. However, I doubt whether I will run. It’s crazy up there and I enjoy life out there, ”he told The Hill.

A senior GOP source said it is unlikely that the former Sen. Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard Sessions Doug Jones Joins CNN As Political Commentator DOJ Revokes ‘Zero Tolerance’ Border Policy Behind Family Separation With Another Caravan Heading North, A Closer Look at Our Asylum Act MORE (R-Ala.) Will run again. Rep. Robert AderholtRobert Brown Aderholt Will Biden Continue NASA’s Artemis Program to Return to the Moon? ALSO READ: The Republicans Who Voted To Challenge Election Results Congress Sees 1 Week Emergency Freeze, Longer Session To Reach Deal MORE (R-Ala.) He is also unlikely to participate, as he is a senior member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and could one day serve as a ranking member or chairman. A move to the Senate would make him a backseat in the upstairs room.

“I don’t think Robert is running, but Mo probably will. He is counting on Trump’s approval and if that doesn’t come, he can stay put, ”said a second Alabama GOP source. “The field is really wide open.”