Rick Scott To Challenge Mitch McConnell As Senate Republican Leader

Topline

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told fellow Republican senators Tuesday he will run against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in Wednesday’s election for GOP Senate leader, in the latest revolt against a party stalwart following disappointing midterm results.

Key Facts

Scott in a letter to colleagues promised “bold change” if elected leader, claiming existing leadership is out of touch with voters and at fault for relatively low Republican turnout in last week’s elections, though he did not attack McConnell by name.

This is the first challenge McConnell has faced in 15 years as the Republican Senate leader, though it’s not believed Scott has enough support to defeat him, according to Politico.

McConnell, 80, has brushed off threats of opposition, telling reporters Monday that he “of course” has enough support to be elected Senate Republican leader for the next two years.

Crucial Quote

“I understand that I won’t gain the support of every member of our Conference, but we all have a clear choice to make,” Scott said.

Key Background

Top Republicans are facing massive blowback after failing to win the Senate and appearing on pace to just narrowly take control of the House, falling well short of hopes for a “red wave” that would have been portrayed as a rebuke of President Joe Biden’s policies. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appears to face a rocky path to becoming the next speaker of the House even if Republicans take the chamber, as expected. McCarthy was picked as the GOP nominee for speaker in a 188-31 vote Tuesday, but that’s well short of the 218 votes he needs to clinch the speakership. Much of the internal pushback is from the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, which is expected to make demands, such as the ability to overthrow the speaker, in exchange for supporting McCarthy.

Tangent

Former President Donald Trump is set to make a “special announcement” at Mar-a-Lago at 9 p.m. Tuesday night, when he’s expected to announce another run for president. Trump has also faced widespread blame—including from some right-wing media outlets—for the poor Republican performance in the midterms.

Further Reading

Kevin McCarthy Fends Off Challenge For House Speaker Nomination—But Still Doesn’t Have The Votes To Win (Forbes)

Conservative groups renew push to postpone Senate leadership elections (The Hill)

Trump Castigates Ron DeSantis—And Fox News—As Conservative Outlets Blame Him For Midterm Results (Forbes)