Alabama Values, America First: Why I Support Rhett Marques

Guest Opinion by Perry Hooper Jr.

I support Rhett Marques for Congress because I believe he has the experience, values, record, and understanding of Alabama necessary to represent the people of the 2nd Congressional District effectively from his first day in Washington.

Rhett is not learning government from the outside. He has served in the Alabama Legislature and understands how legislation is written, how budgets are built, and how government can either help working families or stand in their way. During his service in Montgomery, he has developed a strong record of supporting tax relief, fiscal responsibility, and efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. That experience matters because Washington desperately needs more people who understand that every dollar government spends first came from a taxpayer.

Just as important, Rhett understands the Wiregrass. Agriculture is not simply another issue to be checked off a campaign list in southeast Alabama. Farming, forestry, poultry, livestock, agricultural businesses, and the families who depend upon them are part of the economic foundation and culture of the region. Rhett understands those issues because he knows the people and communities they affect.

I also respect Rhett because his faith is important to him. He is a Godly man who understands that public service should be grounded in principle, responsibility, humility, and respect for the people you represent. Those qualities are increasingly important at a time when too much of politics seems driven by personalities rather than principles.

Rhett has also demonstrated a strong commitment to the men and women who wear our nation's uniform. Alabama's 2nd Congressional District has deep military ties, particularly through Fort Rucker and Maxwell-Gunter, and veterans live in communities throughout the district. Rhett has sponsored legislation designed to help veterans and military families, and I believe that record tells us a great deal about the priorities he would take with him to Congress.

On the major issues facing Washington, Rhett's conservative record is clear. He supports President Trump's agenda, lower taxes, responsible spending, a strong military, secure borders, and election integrity. Those are not positions he suddenly discovered while running for Congress. They are consistent with the record he has established while serving Alabama.

I also believe election integrity must remain a national priority. American citizens should be able to have complete confidence that our elections are secure, that only eligible American citizens vote in federal elections, and that reasonable voter-identification requirements are enforced. Those are basic principles that strengthen rather than weaken confidence in our democracy.

The next Congress will face enormous decisions concerning taxes, federal spending, agriculture, national defense, veterans, border security, energy, and the direction of our country. The margin between Republican and Democratic control of the House could again be extremely narrow, making Alabama's 2nd Congressional District one of the most consequential races in the nation.

That is why this election is about far more than choosing one Congressman. Control of the United States House of Representatives could come down to only a handful of seats, and Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District could be one of them. The outcome will help determine whether President Trump has a Congress willing to move his agenda forward or a Democratic-controlled House positioned to block it at every turn. On taxes, border security, spending, election integrity, national defense, energy, agriculture, and the future direction of our country, the stakes could hardly be higher. Alabama has an opportunity in this election not only to choose its representative, but to help determine who controls the House and whether the America First agenda advances or is stopped in its tracks.

For me, the choice comes down to character, experience, record, and values. I have watched Rhett Marques serve in the Alabama Legislature. I know the principles he has stood for, the people he has worked for, and the conservative record he has built. That is why I support Rhett Marques for Congress.

At a time when Washington needs more backbone, more common sense, more faith, and more leaders who remember who they work for, Rhett Marques is the kind of man I want representing Alabama. He knows our farmers, he respects our military and veterans, he understands the responsibility of protecting taxpayers, and he will not be intimidated when it is time to stand with President Trump and fight for the conservative principles that have made this country strong. Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District deserves a representative who will carry Alabama values to Washington without apology, and I believe Rhett Marques is prepared to do exactly that. This election matters to Alabama, it matters to President Trump’s agenda, and it matters to the direction of the entire country.

Perry O. Hooper Jr. is a longtime Alabama Republican figure, former Alabama Legislator and Montgomery businessman. He served as Co-Chair of “Alabama Trump Victory” in 2016, and served as an at-large delegate to the Republican National Convention. He is a noted civic leader in Montgomery with deep family roots in Alabama’s legal and political history.

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