The race to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is getting crowded.
Sens. John Thune (R-SD), currently McConnell’s top deputy, and John Cornyn (R-TX) announced their own bids quickly after McConnell announced in February he would not run for another term as Senate Republican leader.
Here’s the Dear Colleague that just went out to GOP senators pic.twitter.com/kdSEfCg7PG
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) May 22, 2024
However, that vote represented the first time McConnell received a challenge since ascending to the top post of Senate Republicans.
Scott made clear in his Wednesday letter he will own the lane of change agent over the establishment-aligned Thune and Cornyn.
“There have been far too many backroom deals cut in secret, rarely do things go through the committee process, and it’s accepted practice to not allow amendment votes to trillion-dollar spending bills,” he wrote. “We are routinely surprised with legislation and asked to vote on it without having had an input or even time to review it.”
He blasted McConnell – without naming him once in the letter – for advancing causes that divide Republicans but unite Democrats. “Republicans all across America want the Republicans they elected to the U.S. Senate to stop caving in to Democrat demands,” he writes. “This is not an unreasonable request or expectation.”
Johnson in early May faced a motion to vacate – essentially a recall vote – and was saved with 163 Democrats choosing to save him. His future leading House Republicans beyond this Congress is uncertain.
However, Senate and House dynamics are different. In the Senate, each party chooses its own leader with a simple majority vote, whereas the Speaker of the House must receive a majority of support from the full House.
Scott says he will pursue a different path, highlighting eight promises to increase transparency and empower his own Senators.
Significantly, Scott asserted his belief that the leader should be limited to a six-year term. McConnell, by contrast, has led Senate Republicans since 2007, making him the longest serving Senate party leader in history.
The Senate Republican Conference is not expected to vote on McConnell’s replacement until after the November elections, perhaps as late as December.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
The post Rick Scott Will Run to Replace Mitch McConnell as Republican Leader appeared first on Breitbart.
