According to a Daily Caller report, multiple Senate Republicans are furious with the way outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has performed his job in the Senate. These Republicans are confident McConnell will be replaced by more competent leaders.
In addition, they believe that the closed-off style of leadership McConnell promoted will be long gone once they have a replacement.
Back in February, McConnell announced his retirement from the Senate. He plans on serving out his term, which concludes in January 2027.
McConnell’s announcement came following increased criticism in recent months after working with the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party to try to pass additional aid for Ukraine without obtaining border security concessions from Democrats.
Since McConnell’s announcement, Texas Senator John Cornyn and South Dakota Senator John Thune have stated they will be throwing their hat in the ring to become the next Senate Republican leader. Florida Senator Rick Scott, who previously challenged McConnell for the leadership position in 2020, is also floating a prospective run for the position.
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said to the Daily Caller that the anti-establishment wing of the party hasn’t decided on a candidate, but talks are still going on. Johnson stated, “No, we’ve had discussions, but I’ll leave it at that. We were having discussions before leader McConnell announced his intention there. I mean, I think I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting that. But, again, I appreciate the fact that he did give us that heads up. So we have this time.”
“From my standpoint, I’ll sing the praises of Rick Scott. He’s shown leadership. It was his tenacity that continued to schedule meetings with House members, week after week after week, really got us by the debt ceiling impasse. I’m not sure he gets enough credit for that,” Johnson added “It was Rick Scott who just week after week, even though we’re making no progress, continued to hold those meetings and had the leadership skill to track House members. And that was the final result. So he’s done that.”
Thune and Cornyn have voting records that are similar to McConnell’s. They both have voted for the majority of continuing resolutions and omnibus bills with McConnell. Most notably, these establishment types have voted for the supplemental legislation that featured Ukraine funding during the Congress, in addition to the 2024 NDAA, which extended FISA powers until April. Cornyn and Thune have also been staunch proponents of sending even more military aid to Ukraine.
It remains to be seen what the US Senate will look like in the next few years. One thing is clear, there aren’t many America First alternatives in the Senate due to the establishment capture of this institution. America Firsters will have to fully take over this institution for any meaningful change to occur.