HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – A conservative arsonist and staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, who was criticized for comments prior to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, joined the Republican Party’s primary camp to replace Sen. Richard Shelby.
US deputy Mo Brooks announced his entry into the race on Monday night. Brooks joins former Trump ambassador Lynda Blanchard in the primaries of the Republican Party, which is expected to attract several other candidates. Shelby announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election in 2022.
Brooks was criticized, and two House Democrats proposed that he be censored by Congress for his fiery speech at the pro-Trump rally before the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill.
“Today is the day when American patriots start taking names and blasting,” said Brooks at the Save America rally. Brooks said his comments were only meant to be a stimulating speech for the next election cycle and that critics misrepresented them.
Brooks said Stephen Miller, who was Trump’s top immigration policy advisor, would be his special guest at the “Rally and campaign announcement” held at a shooting range in Huntsville.
Miller was an influential force in boosting Trump’s efforts to curb immigration. He engineered the former president’s Muslim travel ban and was widely seen as the driving force behind the Trump administration’s stricter immigration policies.
Shelby said earlier this year that he would not seek re-election in 2022. His announcement is expected to give way to a complicated Republican Party primary at a time when the national Republican Party is trying to chart a direction after Trump’s departure from office. .
The only candidate announced in the race for the developing Senate is Lynda Blanchard, former Trump ambassador to Slovenia. Blanchard launched himself as a staunch defender of Trump’s legacy. In an effort to dissuade other candidates, Blanchard made a $ 3 million pledge for television airtime before the May 24, 2022 primaries.