Sen. Mitch McConnell was easily re-elected as Senate Minority Leader, crushing the claims of his Florida colleague, Rick Scott, who lobbied to obtain office before the Republicans.
The reelection was stripped of red tape, processed quickly, and surpassed the efforts of Scott, who wanted to postpone the vote. The final result was 37 in favor of McConnell against 10. There was one abstention.
“It doesn’t offend me in any way to have an opponent or some votes in the opposition,” McConnell told reporters. However, when asked if this could be his last term, he forcefully replied: “Look, I’m not going anywhere.”
Scott said afterward that the vote “marks the beginning of a new era in the Senate Republican Conference.” However, McConnell was quick to defend how he runs the conference after beating the challenge. He noted that its members meet three times a week and that a small group of senators can call a conference meeting. He said there is “nothing to negotiate” about how the Republican Party operates in the Senate.
McConnell’s new term begins in January, when the newly elected senators in the past midterm elections take office. This experienced 80-year-old politician, a senator for the rural state of Kentucky, thus remains at the head of the Republican caucus, a position he has held since 2014.
The Democrats managed to maintain control of the Senate in midterm elections that traditionally tend to be adverse to the party of the occupant of the White House.
Former US President Donald Trump, who maintains significant influence over the Republican Party, blamed McConnell for the defeat. The two men were strong allies during Trump’s presidential term, but the senator has distanced himself from Trump since the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“He screwed up the election and everyone looks down on him,” Trump said Wednesday on his Truth Social network. However, before the elections McConnell expressed concerns about the “quality” of the candidates promoted by the former Republican president.
