What’s Happening:
It’s safe to say the 2022 midterms were not quite what anyone was expecting.
Democrats were prepared for a complete drubbing, even though Biden maintained complete optimism. It turns out a broken clock is right twice a day… and Joe can be right once every couple of years.
As of this writing, we are for some reason still waiting for election results days later from the western states, particularly in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska and California. But the outcome is increasingly clear: Republicans are not likely to hold the Senate, but they are favored to hold the House… by the slimmest of margins.
That’s not what Republicans were hoping for, and that may be the reason Marco Rubio just made an unexpected move in the Senate. From Fox News:
“The Senate GOP leadership vote next week should be postponed,” Rubio tweeted Friday. “First we need to make sure that those who want to lead us are genuinely committed to fighting for the priorities & values of the working Americans (of every background) who gave us big wins in states like #Florida.”
Rubio is just the latest Republican to take an apparent swipe at McConnell. Multiple GOP Senate candidates, including Sen.-elect Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., have said they would not support McConnell for party leader for the next Congress.
That’s quite a slight from Rubio. Not only is the now 3-term Senator from Florida, who this time won in a landslide on the coattails of GOP star Governor Ron DeSantis, questioning the commitment of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—other Senators are too.
Why would they do such a thing? Senator McConnell helped raise and spend millions of dollars through the Senate Leadership Fund to get Senators around the country elected. He actually spent far more than presumed party leader Donald Trump, who raised $100 million but only spent $15 million on midterm races, instead opting to bank it for a possible presidential run.
But they have good reason for questioning their Senate leader. McConnell made it clear in August that Senate Republicans had a more difficult road to wrestling control from the Republicans than the House. Then he quietly pulled funding and support from some of the GOP’s most competitive races, such as Bolduc in New Hampshire against the vulnerable Maggie Hassan.
These may have just been political calculations to create the best outcome possible for the GOP. Funds moved from a race that looks out of reach to ones that were closer may have been worth the risk.
But on the other hand, McConnell has been personally attacked by former President Trump and has bristled at his involvement in the midterms. He voiced concerns for candidate quality after Trump’s active endorsement in the primaries led to a variety of candidates loyal to Trump and his 2020 narrative.
So it’s possible that McConnell is committed to his perspective of the GOP… one that doesn’t include Donald Trump. And his refusal to fight for every Republican Senate candidate on the ticket could easily be seen by many in the party as not committed enough.
Even after the votes are counted for the election, it looks likely that the nation will have to wait until the results of the Georgia runoff between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock to find out who controls the Senate.
Maybe it would be a good idea to confirm the 2023 leadership of the Senate after Republicans know whether the 2022 leadership was able to secure victory for the party, no matter how slim.
What do you think? Should McConnell be given 2 more years to lead Senate Republicans, or should they find a new leader?
Key Takeaways:
- Marco Rubio called for a delay in the Senate GOP leadership vote.
- Some senators have questioned Mitch McConnell’s commitment to the success of Republicans.
Source: Fox News
