Former President Donald Trump lauded Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks on Monday, predicting an easy victory for the Huntsville Republican in the state’s U.S. Senate race next year.
The comments come on the heels of Trump formally endorsing Brooks in the Senate race.
“It looks like he’s got clear sailing,” Trump said of Brooks during an interview on Fox News.
Trump also said that Brooks “just went up 41 points,” as if referring to a Senate poll. The former president gave no other details and Brooks, when asked Tuesday about the poll, referred the question to Trump.
There has been no public polling on Alabama’s Senate race.
Later in the interview, Trump said, “Alabama’s going to be a tremendous win with Mo Brooks.”
The race to fill the Senate seat coming open next year with the retirement of Sen. Richard Shelby has gotten off to a slow start. Only two candidates have announced their intentions to run for the seat – Brooks and Montgomery businesswoman Lynda Blanchard, a former ambassador to Slovenia during the Trump administration.
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, only days away from announcing his Senate candidacy, announced he would not seek elected office next year after he confirmed an extramarital affair to AL.com earlier this month.
Trump endorsed Brooks in two previous House races. But Brooks further elevated his support in the eyes of the former president when Brooks in December led the fight to challenge the presidential election results. Brooks also spoke at the pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6 that preceded Trump supporters briefly seizing control of the U.S. Capitol as Congress was certifying the election results.
When Brooks held a rally last month announcing his campaign, he was joined by Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to Trump who remains close to the former president.
Trump’s endorsement came about two weeks later.