Donald Trump's endorsed candidates have lost U.S. Senate campaigns in Alabama in three elections — and is once again seeing one of his hopefuls struggle.
In 2016, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) slammed Trump for "serial adultery" and "gutter-mouth tendencies," vowing he would not endorse him even if he won the Republican nomination.
"I don't want in the White House someone who in front of little children on national television uses the kind of profanity that Donald Trump uses," Brooks said at the time. "I want someone in the White House who is honorable. I believe honesty, integrity and honor are important attributes for president of the United States."
A lot has changed in the last five years.
"Brooks was the first congressman to say he’d object to certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory in Congress, and spoke at then-President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 rally. Trump rewarded Brooks with an early Senate endorsement that made Brooks the early frontrunner in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Richard Shelby. But it’s all been downhill from there," Vice News reported Friday.
Vice reports Brooks "fired his original campaign consultants" as Brooks struggled to get traction with voters.
"Trump has reportedly regretted endorsing Brooks, frustrated at his campaign struggles," Vice reported.
On top of that, Brooks' new campaign manager also has a history of harsh criticism of Trump.
"Forrest Barnwell-Hagemeyer has shared a lot of criticism of Trump, calling him a 'short-fingered vulgarian' in 2016 among other insults. And in the wake of the 2020 election, he approvingly shared Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse’s post in which Sasse attacked Trumpers’ efforts to overturn Trump’s election loss. 'Adults don’t point a loaded gun at the heart of American government,' Barnwell-Hagemeyer quoted Sasse in a post on Facebook," Vice reported.
Trump is reportedly sensitive to the fact that "85% of American men have larger hands."
"And while Trump’s endorsement is a huge help in Republican primaries, it’s not bulletproof — as Alabama proved in 2017. Trump endorsed appointed Republican Sen. Luther Strange in his primary against Brooks and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore. That helped Strange squeak by Brooks, but he lost in a runoff to Moore. Trump then backed Moore in the general election, sticking by him even amidst multiple allegations of sexual harassment of minors — but it wasn’t enough, as Moore became the first Republican in a generation to lose a Senate general election in Alabama," Vice reported.
In Pennsylvania, Trump-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell recently suspended his campaign after losing custody of his children following shocking claims of abuse.
A neutral GOP strategist in Alabama was not surprised to see Brooks' struggles.
“This is Mo Brooks’ race to lose — and he’s doing everything he can to do that,” the strategist said. “He’s being Mo.”
Read the full report.
