Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., left. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

When asked recently why he decided to run for U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks didn’t offer a long answer, full of hyperbole and rhetoric.

He said it boiled down to service to country and the need to have “an ethical senator who would fight for conservative beliefs.”

Though his reason for running may seem simple, Brooks’ wish list of accomplishments is much more expansive. He must first, however, defeat appointed Sen. Luther Strange, whom Brooks refuses to call a senator. He instead refers to the man appointed by former Gov. Robert Bentley as a “placeholder.”

Bentley appointed Strange, the former Alabama attorney general, to the position after U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions was appointed to U.S. attorney general by President Donald Trump. Bentley set the special election date to coincide with the November 2018 general election, but Gov. Kay Ivey moved the date to August after Bentley resigned and she became governor.

In a recent interview with The News Courier, Brooks discussed his qualifications and what he would do if elected to the U.S. Senate.

Senate filibuster rule

First and foremost on Brooks’ to-do list, if elected, is working to eliminate the Senate filibuster rule. President Donald Trump has urged senators to change the current rule to allow a simple 51-vote majority as opposed to 60 votes.

“It makes no sense to thwart majority will by empowering Chuck Schumer and the Democrats to obstruct the will of the Senate Republicans, the House Republican majority, President Trump and the tens of millions of American voters who sent us to Washington,” Brooks said.

How a win would help North Alabama

Brooks, a Huntsville resident, has spent most of his time campaigning in South Alabama where he isn’t as well-known. When asked how a Mo Brooks victory might benefit the Tennessee Valley, he explained he would continue to advocate for North Alabama, particularly where Redstone Arsenal is concerned.

“Bear in mind, the No. 1 priority of a U.S. Senator must be America’s well-being,” he said. “If America does well, so will Alabama and the Tennessee Valley.”

Deficit reduction

One of Brooks’ frequent rallying cries as a member of Congress has been a staggering U.S. deficit. He said his efforts to fight the debt threat would be better heard if he were a senator as opposed to a member of the House.

“There are 435 House members and 100 senators. Just the math tells you a senator’s vote is 4.35 times more influential than a House member’s vote,” he explained. “With that greater influence, you are better able to do two things that will help America with our frightening deficit and debt situation. First, you are better positioned to restrain non-essential spending. Second, you are better positioned to oppose socialist economic policies and promote free enterprise polices that will grow the economy and increase family incomes while producing more federal tax revenue to reduce deficits without increasing tax rates.”

Why he’s the best candidate

When asked why he’s the best man for the job, Brooks highlighted three points for voters — a “spotless” ethics record, a record of conservative leadership and his vow to fight the filibuster rule.

In talking about his ethics record, the congressman — who is now in his third term — said he put his country’s interests above his self-interest.

“That is in stark contrast to one candidate who held the threat of criminal prosecution over Gov. Bentley’s head as he sought an appointment favor from the governor,” Brooks said, adding he had served as a prosecutor in Tuscaloosa and Huntsville as part of his 30 years of public service. “No ethical prosecutor would have ever subverted the public’s interest for self-promotion as has occurred in this race.”

He added the “ethical cloud” over Bentley’s appointment of Strange to the Senate was what led Gov. Kay Ivey to move the primary to August, despite the $15 million cost to taxpayers the state “badly needs to spend elsewhere.”

Brooks’ second point is simply his conservative record in the House. “The public can look at my thousands of past votes and from there deduce how I will vote in the future as a senator.”

Lastly, Brooks reiterated his quest to kill the Senate filibuster rule, which he said has been championed by Strange. He explained such a rule has only worked in favor of “leftist socialist policies” imposed by Democrats.

“President Trump’s pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” he said. “Senate placeholder Luther Strange has opposed President Trump’s position in writing and that difference is a defining one between myself and the current placeholder. Out of over 300 votes I’ve cost so far in the House, every single one has been supportive of President Trump’s agenda while placeholder Luther Strange’s position on the filibuster rule means President Trump’s agenda is dead in the first four years of his presidential term.”