AMAC EXCLUSIVE
![Joe-Biden-Mitch-McConnell President Joe Biden, joined by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), delivers remarks on infrastructure, Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at the Brent Spence Bridge site in Covington, Kentucky. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)](https://static-asset.amac.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22092907/Joe-Biden-Mitch-McConnell.jpg)
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement on February 28 that he will be stepping down from his post in November has touched off an internal GOP power struggle over his replacement. While it’s still unclear who the frontrunner in that contest is, the outcome of the race could determine the direction of the Senate Republican caucus for decades to come.
While the 82-year-old McConnell leaves behind a complex legacy, it is undeniable that his exit will create a huge void on the Republican Senate leadership team. McConnell is the longest serving Senate party leader in American history. He has occupied the top GOP post in the Senate for more than 17 years, serving as minority leader from 2007 to 2015, majority leader from 2015 to 2021, and minority leader from 2021 to the present. In that same time, House Republicans have been led by five different figures—John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, interim speaker Patrick McHenry, and now Speaker Mike Johnson.
Immediately following McConnell’s retirement announcement, the senators who seemed best positioned to replace him were the so-called “Three Johns” – South Dakota Senator John Thune, Texas Senator John Cornyn, and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso.
Since then, Barrasso, the current third-highest ranked Senate Republican, has said that he intends to seek the number two spot.
Thune and Cornyn, meanwhile, have jockeyed for the lead in the race after both officially announced their candidacy in early March.
Thune, a fourth-term senator and the current Senate Republican Whip, enjoys close relationships with a number of old-guard Republicans, and has called the leadership race a chance for a “reset.”
Cornyn, meanwhile, knows the Senate inside and out as the fourth-longest tenured Republican. He has also developed a reputation as a prolific fundraiser – something which could go far with his Senate colleagues.
In total, McConnell has raised an amazing $1.6 billion for Senate Republicans since 2015, and the caucus will be eager for someone with the proven ability to match or even exceed that. Other than McConnell, no Senate Republican has raised more than Cornyn since 2009.
Senator Rick Scott – another strong fundraiser – has emerged as another contender to replace McConnell. Scott ran against McConnell following the 2022 midterms for minority leader, but failed to garner enough support to oust him.
Although Scott has not officially entered the race, he has said that he is “seriously considering it” and cited a number of other GOP senators who he believes would support him, including Rand Paul (KY), Ted Cruz (TX), Mike Lee (UT), Ron Johnson (WI), J.D. Vance (OH), and Josh Hawley (MO). However, no one has endorsed him in the race yet.
Scott notably told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk that if he were elected leader he would pursue a different approach from McConnell. “I think there’s a better way to run the Senate,” he told Kirk on his podcast, going on to say that if senators want to take “the same path we’ve been going down,” then they shouldn’t vote for him.
Although Cornyn, Thune, and Scott are likely the three frontrunners, some other dark horse contenders are Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, and J.D. Vance of Ohio.
Ernst is currently the number four Republican in the Senate and chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee. Hagerty, while still relatively new to the Senate (he was just elected in 2020) brings an impressive background of business and diplomatic experience, including serving as former President Donald Trump’s Ambassador to Japan.
The 39-year-old Vance, still a freshman senator, undoubtedly has the longest odds of the bunch to make a real bid for leader, but has quickly established himself as an intellectual force in the conference. For him, a longshot leadership bid may serve as a prime opportunity to raise his national profile and set himself up for more leadership opportunities in the future.
The biggest – and most important – remaining question is what role Trump will play in the race.
A number of senators have already made clear that they will only support a candidate for leader who embraces Trump’s “America First” agenda and has shown allegiance to the former president. “I think we need a leader in the Senate who is a conservative. I think we need a leader in the Senate who can work hand-in-hand with President Trump,” Texas Senator Cruz said on Fox News’ Life, Liberty & Levin earlier this month. “Republicans, when we have the majority, we tend to be half-assed and just do a little bit.”
Thune could run into trouble there, as he supported fellow Senator Tim Scott for president over Trump before Scott dropped out of the race. Thune has also publicly criticized Trump in the past. Since entering the leadership race, however, Thune has tried to cozy up to the former president.
Cornyn has also previously faced backlash for his work with Democrats on gun control legislation and an education bill that, as AMAC Newsline reported, likely would have provided an avenue for Democrats to mandate the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools. Despite his fundraising advantages and seniority, Cornyn may have an uphill battle to prove to Senate conservatives that he will adequately defend their priorities.
This could create a potential lane for an unexpected contender like Hagerty or Vance to rise to the fore, particularly if Trump decides to endorse one of them. With an opportunity, as Thune noted, to “reset” the Senate GOP, it may be reset in a decidedly pro-Trump, America First direction after November.
Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on X @ShaneHarris513.
McConnell has NEVER been a leader. A RINO dictator is more like it. He funds campaigns of RINOs but never a conservative. The 2022 election is all the proof we need.
We would have a solid majority now if he would have done the right thing.
He has NO integrity at all!!
Cornyn is as sorry as mitch.
We need patriotic Americans to lead our government!!
We the people absolutely must take control of OUR out of control government!!
we desperately need a reset, MAGA OR disaster. no cornyn or thune.
Senator Scott is focused, speaks out when needed, has a country-first attitude, and is required to lead and reengineer the “rip Van Winkle Senate. Time to wake up, Republicans; Democrats are screwing you at every turn, for they have no guts and are led like sheep, silent and hidden, voting that always screws us. Doubt it, write it down, and then read.
Americans of the lifelong elected crowd are sure signs for the dire need for term limits. They take and take, taxes are used as a personal popularity gimmick, and we are tired of the silence, the deceit, and “no action” for months.
The off-kilter democrats have allowed and participated in the ruination of this country, and a gigantic change to oust them is needed. Just listen to the nonsense, the lies, the canned read from the text BS. Do not be fooled; it is a sham, and they live with it. Telling, is it not?
Republicans, yes, conservative, but when you realize the budget is from taxpayer funds, and the PORK bragging is for reelection, it is our own money being given back. do not be thankful; you were just hoodwinked. — a political farce, a sham, and it must STOP forever. Taxpayers are being taken down the bankruptcy path (unending spending, leaders who are missing, use false rhetoric and words to inflame, false and lies dominant, illegals supported by taxpayers – hell, we said NO, but they could give a crap less. Giveaways, costs, and ALL the shenanigans that you sleep through. Best wake-up! Yes, it is a nightmare, and when you wake up, it might well be a reality,
Rick Scott, Rand Paul JD Vance Need MAGA Blood
Cornyn is a stinking RINO. I could care less about seniority or experience, we need a firebrand constitutional conservative to replace China-loving McConnell. Also, that spineless Speaker of the House needs to go.
As a South Dakotan, I want to see Thune gone from politics all together. Feckless…..
Tim Scott. Scott is a man of high integrity and a rock solid conservative. A big plus is that he could lure Trey Gowdy back in to assume the position of Attorney General.
Absolutely NO to the 3 John’s. All are old guard, go along to get along to keep our careers Republicans. Might as well elect a Democrat.
Cornyn is a poor choice. Barrasso would be good as would Ted Cruz.
Rand Paul
Reset spending
I honestly don’t think it will make any difference who replaces McConnell as Senate Minority Leader. The Republicans don’t have the backbone to stand up for the American people. The Republican Party is the “light” version of the Democrat Party. That’s why we have a $35 Trillion National Debt and our borders are wide open.
We need a strong leader in the senate that can control the RINOs. I think Scott would be better than any of the others. At the least we should be United and vote as one bloc. For the good of the country and not what is good for the individual senators be they dem or rep. What am I saying, doing good for the country? What politician has ever done that? Look at all the pork that is always attached to any bill. Perks that are ridiculous on its merits. And yet it still happens. Millions of dollars to put ankle monitors on cows. What????
Thune or Cornyn would be McConnell 2.0. Scott would be the only choice for the Senate Republicans to change their approach. Schumer and his RINO allies(Romney, Murkowski, Cassidy, Collins, McConnell etc) have beaten republicans shamelessly for a long time. Scott is the only option that might change that.
NOT going to hold my breath on this issue. The Republican Party has too many RINO’S.
After what we got in the House, I am not very hopeful.
J.D. Vance or Rick Scott (if I can’t have Rand Paul). But a big fat absolutely not to Cornyn – who supported funding red flag laws. I don’t care how much money he can raise. NO to Cornyn.
We need a Set Of Rules for Term Limits that gets rid of government employees altogether. Citizens are frequently changing jobs. Government employees are a different story. Once the get a government job they practically have it for life even if they don’t perform. If they don’t do their job they often get transferred to another government job. That fast track time is over.
The worst candidate for this job is Cornyn. He is a RINO in every sense of the word. I have voted for him in the past, but I will never do it again. He joined with the demonrats on gun control. Now, the government is allowing illegals to be armed while working to disarm U. S. citizens! We have lost our country!
Agree that a GOP reset toward serving the people rather than themselves is a great aim. The so-called “top” three (Johns) are likely more part of the GOP establishment and/or RINOs. I personally like Tim Scott.
Tim Scott is a highly viable candidate who seems to have an accurate read on the Republican party, how it can empower our congress with effective republican leadership, and how our leadership can bring the Congressional Democrats back from the most profound state of depravity that I have witnessed in my lifetime.
It’s way past time for McConnell to retire. Too bad he became a millionaire from the tax payers. Hopefully the republicans will get a true conservative that loves this country rather than another uni-party member.
its freakin sad the higher you can raise money sets your grade. WTF happened to honesty, integrity, values?????????? wtf…..
Neither one of those mentioned is acceptable. All worthless RINOs.
I’d like to see JD Vance replace McConnell.
Rand Paul, JD Vance, Rick Scott, Joni Ernst, NOT the same weak rinos, NOT the ones who pride themselves on “crossing the aisles “, a REAL leader who stands up for Legal Citizens ,Our Constitution and America!!
SICK AND TIRED of the same life-long useless politicians, THEY work FOR the American Citizens FIRST, NOT political parties,or big donors.
The question is do we have ANY of the Congress who does??
Certainly not the same group as McConnell and his clones.
The group of marxist democrat party leaders are even WORSE. They are truly toxic and destructive of OUR COUNTRY!
BOYCOTT COLORADO, MAINE, HAWAII, ILLINOIS, NEW YORK, GEORGIA! THESE STATES MUST BE PUNISHED!
Rearrange the deck chairs on the titanic. Does anyone really believe it makes any difference.
The problem here is that Mitch McConnell had been on the job for far too long. There should be Term Limits. That’s why our country is like as is. If we have Term Limits, it wouldn’t get this far and possibility we wouldn’t be worrying about our border. Presidents and Vice-Presidents are only allow 2 terms. It should be also for Congress, too.
I can tell by the comments that people want real conservatives in power, as do I. But given the machinations in government we’re not likely to get that. The RINOS have the upper hand. I hope I’m pleasantly surprised.
We are living in a world of fools. Fools hate knowledge. Fools enjoy wicked schemes. Fools are deceitful. Fools love perversion. Fools are dangerous. Sounds like our foolish government, doesn’t it.
Cornyn is as compromised and corrupt as McConnell. Owned by the corporate elites. Establishment uniparty republicans are no longer morally or intellectually qualified to lead the GOP.
I read the “Reader Comments'”with as much interest as the articles.
Seems here the choice is Rick Scott.
Steve Daines from Montana is the right choice for the job!
Mr.Harris, Thank you for your article. I have been using the “AMAC News app for about 5years. Each time I see your name in the “by-line” I am always eager to read your latest submission.
Kick McConnell and Romney out.
It’s imperative that the leader of the senate republicans be a MAGA supporter! MAGA is our only best and last chance to turn back the tide of the evil Totalitarian Communist Democrat Party Comrade’s.We all need to send whatever we can afford to support MAGA because if we don’t, I can assure you that you will pay 10 times more.We are already paying more daily for the mistakes of not providing enough support.
This “race” should have been held decades ago.
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There will be changes and rearrangements after the” elections” we no longer be living in the same house
Is the selection of the leader of the party in the Senate decided behind the scenes? Or will the contest be run like an election? I had an impression that seniority was the the basis.
At least I know Leadership is not entirely decided by fundraising.
Does anything matter any more? This country is gone.