A small group of Senate Conservatives wants to play a major role in determining who becomes the chamber’s next GOP leader.
This from newsmax.com.
The Hill reported Monday:
Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) are leading an effort to enable conservatives to have a strong say about who replaces Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who last week announced he will step down in November as Republican leader.
A Republican strategist familiar with the deliberations of Senate conservatives told The Hill:
From the perspective of the conservatives, this is something they’ve been preparing for since McConnell said I’m going to serve the remainder of my term, and that was it. That’s the mindset they’re in.
Further:
There’s going to have to be conversations between the candidates and the conservatives, and I don’t think [Sens.] John Thune or John Cornyn can take their support for granted.
Senate Republican Whip Thune (RINO-SD) and former Senate GOP Whip Cornyn (RINO-TX) are considered the leading contenders to replace McConnell.
Conservative Senate members—who also include Sens. JD Vance (R-OH), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Rand Paul (R-KY)—want political and procedural reforms that give them more say in the leadership of their conference.
The group largely failed to influence McConnell on major political and policymaking decisions.
Both Thune and Cornyn have been critical of President Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) who has endorsed Thune to replace McConnell, said Trump will play a role in determining the party’s next Senate leader.
Rounds said Sunday on ABC’s This Week:
He’s the Republican front-runner; he’s going to have a voice in it.
Further:
The former president will have the opportunity to influence a number of my colleagues, but we also want to be able to have a good working relationship with him if he becomes the next president of the United States.
Sen. Scott on Friday said he and fellow conservatives will call a special conference meeting to develop a mission for the process to replace McConnell.
Sen. Scott told The Charlie Kirk Show:
First thing we’re doing is we’ve called—Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and I and some others have called—for a conference meeting and said, ‘Hey, what do we want to be?’
Sen. Lee took to X on Friday to say:
The next Senate GOP leader should have the confidence to relinquish discretionary control over committee assignments.
McConnell has appeared to change committee assignments based on whether specific senators supported his leadership.
Final thoughts: Good riddance to The China Turtle. God speed to Conservatism. RINOs will not help save America from globalism.
