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Here's What Some of McConnell's Top Republican Critics Are Saying About His Announcement

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  February 28, 2024 9:15 PM

Earlier on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that he would be stepping down from his leadership position in November, though he'll still serve out the rest of his term through 2027. It was a major story throughout the day, and responses and well-wishes from both sides of the aisle come pouring in, including from some of McConnell's most vocal critics.

Chief among them includes Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who, earlier this month was asked about whether McConnell should step aside as leader, something he answered he should. Cruz also provided a statement for Townhall on Wednesday about McConnell's decision. 

"Mitch has had a long and honorable tenure as the Republican leader. I am grateful for his service. He made the decision that it was time to step down as Leader, and I certainly respect his judgment in that regard. He has many legacies, but none is more consequential than confirming hundreds of principled constitutionalists to the federal judiciary," Cruz said, highlighting a legacy that even McConnell's critics on the right have celebrated. 

Another critic of McConnell is Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who had plenty to say after Republicans failed to gain back control of the chamber following the disappointing 2022 midterm elections. Democrats even picked up a seat when retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) was replaced with Sen. John Fetterman. "Washington Republicanism lost big Tuesday night," Hawley posted two days after that election. In an interview with RealClearPolitics, he also called out McConnell by name.

As he reposted the Associated Press story that broke the news, Hawley reminded that he "called on McConnell to step down over a year ago," and called it "good news." He also wondered "why wait so long," arguing "we need new leadership now."

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"Josh Hawley" was actually trending over X on Wednesday, following McConnell's announcement.

Hawley also posted what he hopes to see in the new Republican leader. He mentioned he wants "somebody who will put the people of Missouri and this nation ahead of defense contractors, corporate interests, and big money donors." 

He spoke to Newsweek further about what issues matter to him. "I'm not going to support anybody who will not support the people in my state in getting the nuclear compensation that they deserve for having been exposed to nuclear radiation," he told the outlet, calling it a "huge, huge issue."

While the above post didn't mention names, Hawley suggested names to the outlet such as Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), the latter who currently serves as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman. 

Not long after the 2022 elections, Scott announced that he would challenge McConnell for his leadership position, a move which received public support from Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN). Scott lost that endeavor, though, and McConnell won back his leadership position by a vote of 37-10, with one member voting present. 

Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) also posted his support of Scott as the next Republican leader, speaking of him as "a great example of a true conservative leader who would deliver America First results."

A pinned post to Scott's account is a statement reminding people of how he did challenge McConnell before, with an emphasis for a need on new leadership. "I have been very clear and have long believed that we need new leadership in the Senate that represents our voters and the issues we were sent here to fight for. As everyone knows, I challenged Leader McConnell in 2022. This is an opportunity to refocus our efforts on solving the significant challenges facing our country and actually reflect the aspirations of voters," the statement read.

It's also telling that another post from Rick on Wednesday criticized Senate leadership for how it "has spent more time talking about how we're going to help Ukraine's economy than our own!"

We could also see another establishment pick, though. This is where another Texas senator, John Cornyn, could come into play. The Texas Tribune quoted Cornyn as saying "I’ve made no secret of my intentions."

Reporting from The New York Post noted that "Speculation quickly turned to three Johns potentially waiting in the wings: John Thune (R-SD), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)." This includes mention of a joke from Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) that he supports "John."

Cornyn, who once served as the Senate Majority Whip, has posted and reposted about McConnell's announcement throughout the day. This includes quoted repost of Attorney General Ken Paxton that has since received over 3,000 replies in the approximately 2 hours it's been up, where he noted it's "Hard to run from prison, Ken" in response to Paxton pointing out Cornyn will be running again in 2026 and facing a primary.

"Paxton" and "Cornyn" were also among the Wednesday trends over X in response to such an exchange.