Mitch McConnell looks like he is giving up his leadership role and possibly his Senate seat. If he does give up his seat Democratic Governor Andy Beshear gets to select his replacement, but under Kentucky law, the legislature must select three Republicans to replace McConnell and Bashear must select one of the three.
In mathematical terms, McConnell’s resignation is addition by subtraction. Senators John Barrasso, of North Dakota, John Cornyn, of Texas, and John Thune, of South Dakota are all rallying their troops.
I vote for none of the above. We need a leader who will fight, not capitulate. I would love to see Cruz get it, but he is not popular enough. It is a matter of time before Mitt Romney throws his hat into the fray, He doesn’t stand a chance.
Unless someone dominates early, it could be a long night. Currently, there is no favorite for the job, but that could change between now and the vote. The winner could become majority leader as the 2924 Senate elections favor Republicans.
One source says that Cornyn has been particularly active in his preparations, taking fellow senators with whom he has little in common to lunch in attempts to court them.
Requests are being targeted at a plethora of conservative senators, including the sixteen who voted to delay the leadership election earlier this year, a proxy for opposition to McConnell’s leadership. Rick Scott, the Florida senator and former NRSC head who challenged McConnell, ultimately received ten protest votes. These members could prove key to determining the next Republican leader. Queries are also being made internally about the rules regarding replacement, and how the contest would be structured given the lack of an obvious heir apparent.
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McConnell was released from the hospital on March 25. Today he tweeted that he plans to return to the Senate on Monday.
Sources tell The Spectator that Senate Republicans are preparing for an imminent leadership vote. “Multiple sources confirm that Senators John Barrasso of North Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota are actively reaching out to fellow Republican senators in efforts to prepare for an anticipated leadership vote,” the report discloses, “a vote that would occur upon announcement that McConnell would be retiring from his duties as leader, and presumably the Senate itself.”
If McConnell decides to retire from the Senate altogether, and not just from his leadership position, it would be up to Democratic Governor Andy Beshear to fill the vacancy. However, Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature recently passed SB 228, which would constrain Beshear’s power by requiring him to choose one of three candidates recommended by leaders of the same political party as the outgoing senator. Beshear originally vetoed the bill, but his veto was overridden by the legislature. So, there is no need to worry about a Democrat being appointed as a replacement.
McConnell has served in the GOP leadership since 2007, and he successfully blocked Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. During Trump’s first term, he and McConnell aggressively prioritized filling vacancies in the judiciary and succeeded in getting Amy Coney Barrett confirmed before the 2020 election.
