Despite a somewhat disappointing showing by Republicans in last week’s midterm elections, which resulted in some calls for change, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell was reelected Senate GOP leader once again on Wednesday.
McConnell handily defeated Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who chaired the party’s Senate campaign efforts in the midterms, and will become the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history.
The final vote, per Senate Republican lawmakers present, was 37-10, with one abstention. The rest of the Republican leadership team was reelected unanimously: Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., will continue in their roles as GOP Whip and Senate GOP conference chair, respectively, while West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito will join Barrasso as vice conference chair. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst will chair the party’s policy committee, while Montana’s Steve Daines will become the NRSC chairman for the 2024 election cycle, replacing Scott.
The challenge from Scott was McConnell’s first since assuming the role in 2007, and comes after a less-than-stellar showing in the midterms for the party.
The so-called “red wave” that Republicans had hoped would sweep them into strong majorities in the House and Senate did not materialize; while the GOP is likely to win the House, Democrats held on to the Senate, and could potentially increase their majority after Dec. 6 Georgia runoff.
Republicans have been pointing fingers since the midterms ended and searching for a path forward – which set up a leadership showdown between Leader McConnell and Sen. Scott.
In a statement, Scott pledged to keep fighting to change Washington and oppose President Joe Biden’s agenda: “Although the results of today’s elections weren’t what we hoped for, this is far from the end of our fight to Make Washington Work.
“My resolve to stand up for what Republicans across this nation stand for has never been stronger than it is today,” Scott wrote. “I could not be more grateful for the support I’ve received from many of my colleagues and from Americans across our great country.”
“I never thought for a moment that this fight would be easy, but I’m optimistic that, together, Republicans can rescue America with the principles that unite us against the dangerous path Democrats have set it on,” he added.
One expert said that there were “many reasons” why the party failed to perform up to expectations.
“There can be many reasons for why things didn’t happen, especially in a country as big and as diverse as the United States,” Casey Burgat, director of the legislative affairs program at George Washington University, told Spectrum News, adding that issues matter differently to voters in different states.
Some Republicans, though, have pointed the finger at former President Donald Trump as reason for the less-than-inspiring election cycle. McConnell over the summer warned of the possibility that Republicans might not retake the Senate, saying in part: “I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different. […] Candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.”
Burgat added that he’s “persuaded by Mitch McConnell’s point” about the lack of “candidate quality” and the ones who were “particularly handpicked by President Trump.”
McConnell, for his part, did not seem concerned about the challenge to his leadership.
McConnell told reporters about the impending vote during a Tuesday press conference: “I have the votes.”
