Spencer wrote yesterday that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is stepping down as the leader for Senate Republicans. The aging Kentucky legislator has shown he’s lost a step, freezing on multiple occasions at press conferences. He’s also 82 years old. It’s time to pass the baton. McConnell has had a storied career in public life, with the good and the bad. He was instrumental in reshaping the judiciary under Donald Trump. He got core pieces of the former president’s domestic agenda passed, but the final chapter of this Ukraine aid debate is on a sour note.
Regardless, despite some of his poor decisions on Ukraine and taking an ambivalent approach to the continued rise of Trumpism within the party after the 2020 election, there is no doubt that the Kentucky Republican was one of the GOP’s best legislative tacticians, even if that came with giving the base the middle finger on these recent spending measures.
With a crucial congressional leadership vacancy pending—McConnell steps down officially in November—Trump is pushing who he wants to see as the next leader for Senate Republicans (via Axios):
Former President Trump quietly has been urging Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to run for GOP Senate leader — and was doing so even before Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced he was stepping aside as leader, two sources familiar with the situation tell Axios.
Why it matters: Much of the speculation about McConnell's successor has focused on the "three Johns" — Thune, Cornyn and Barrasso — but Trump's involvement signals there could be a long race for the leadership post ahead.
Trump is consolidating his power over the GOP and Republicans in Congress, and his blessing — along with a triumphant November election — could position Daines for the Senate leadership job when the new Congress starts in January.
Daines, who also is chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has demurred about the possibility of succeeding McConnell — but hasn't said no.
Daines "appreciates the president's support but needs to focus on taking back the Senate" in November, one source familiar with his thinking told Axios.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) was considered the heir apparent for years in DC. Yet, his caving on gun control in 2022 is disqualifying in my book. That bill also gave the corrupt FBI $100 million.
Daines endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid early, which is part of the loyalty with the former president. Is Daines the best candidate? He’s not my first choice. Then again, the folks I would like to see take McConnell’s spot won’t be considered because they’re extreme for the establishment. And by that, I mean not engaging in cockamamie spending bills dressed as border security but as foreign aid packages.
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