Balligand announced on 15 December 2011 that he would not seek re-election in the next legislative elections, prompting Bricout to declare his candidacy to succeed him on 2 January 2012.[1][2] Initially, there was speculation in the local press that Jean-Jacques Thomas, the mayor of Hirson and general councillor, would also contest the Socialist nomination, but Thomas eventually announced on 14 January that he would not be a candidate.[3] Bricout's campaign thus officially began on 10 February.[4]
That May, Bricout announced that Michel Lefèvre, the mayor of Rougeries and general councillor of the canton of Sains-Richaumont, would be his designated substitute.[5] However, Lefèvre died in a car accident on 1 June, less than one week before the first round of the election. Consequently, Bricout had to select a new substitute: Thierry Thomas, the mayor of Boué and general councillor of the canton of Nouvion-en-Thiérarche.[6]
In the ensuing first round of the 2012 French legislative elections, Bricout received 41.1% of the vote against the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)'s Frédéric Meura, who received 32.04%, and the Front National (FN)'s Bertrand Dutheil de La Rochère, who received 16.3%. Bricout then won the second round with 54.30% of the vote, compared to Meura's 45.7%.
Bricout took office as a Member of the National Assembly on 20 June 2012, resigning from the regional council of Picardy due to the law on the accumulation of mandates.
On 23 March 2014, Bricout was re-elected as mayor of Bohain-en-Vermandois with 63.6% of the vote in the first round, against deputy mayor Sylvie Roy of the Miscellaneous left (DVG) and 21-year-old Ludovic Bersillion of the Miscellaneous right (DVG).
On 18 June 2017, Bricout was re-elected to the National Assembly with 60.45% of the vote against Paul-Henry Hansen-Catta of the FN, who obtained 39.55%.[7] Due to the law on the accumulation of mandates, he resigned as mayor and was succeeded by Yann Rojo on 26 June 2017.[8] Bricout subsequently resigned from Bohain-en-Vermandois' municipal council as well on 16 October 2017.[9]
