Sen. Rick Scott is lobbying fellow Republicans to elect him as Senate Minority Leader in Wednesday’s internal elections to replace veteran Mitch McConnell. If achieved, he would hold the position from January.
But he has little chance of success, since he is not popular enough or admired by the Republican environment. He tells CNN that his initiative is seen as a protest vote and that it is the first real challenge McConnell has faced in his time as leader of the Republican Party.
Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has been in a long-running conflict with McConnell for much of this year, differing over where to invest resources in tight midterm Senate races.
Some McConnell allies told CNN earlier this month, ahead of the midterm election day, that he has kept his operation focused on winning the majority in the most efficient and direct way possible.
But Scott, the chairman of the Republican Party’s campaign organization, tried to bolster candidates who his allies say have been unfairly dismissed by McConnell.
After the lackluster performance of the Republicans in this election, in which the Democrats have already won a majority in the Senate and have the possibility of increasing their margin with the Georgia results, former President Donald Trump called on his allies, Republican sources told CNN last week, to buttress his desire for Scott’s leadership. But at this moment the truth is that important figures of the Republicans are moving away from the influence of the ex-president.
Some of Trump’s closest allies in the Senate, including Scott, Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, pushed to delay the leadership vote on Wednesday, though it is expected to go ahead as planned.
Senate Republicans met behind closed doors Tuesday afternoon to discuss the idea of delaying the leadership election and vent their frustrations, but failed to reach an agreement.
