Mitch McConnell wants to put the establishment back in control of the Republican Party.
But he is not going to do that without a fight.
And Mitch McConnell was blindsided when a Florida lawmaker picked this fight.
The fight to replace Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader is underway
RINO Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been one of the most powerful Republicans in Washington, D.C.’s “Swamp” for decades.
The 82-year-old announced earlier this year that he was stepping down as the Senate Republican Leader after 17 years.
McConnell is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history after he took over the position from former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) in 2007.
He controlled the Senate Republican caucus with an iron fist and clashed with conservatives like U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) who tried to buck his agenda.
Senate Republicans will vote in a secret ballot to replace McConnell the week after Election Day.
Three major contenders are vying to place him.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) and U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) are two RINOs who are proteges of McConnell who would keep his legacy of capitulation to Democrats going.
There is no true conservative contender in the leadership race, but U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) would be an upgrade over either Cornyn or Thune.
Scott is calling for a six-year term limit as Senate GOP leader to prevent another long reign like McConnell held in the top spot.
He vowed to fight instead of fold on key issues like the border and spending when he announced he was running for Senate Republican leader last spring.
“I am a change agent,” Scott said. “I was a change agent in business, I did turnarounds, I changed Florida and we’re gonna change the Senate.”
“Let’s stand and fight over the border, let’s stand and fight over spending, let’s stand and fight over making sure Israel gets help,” Scott added.
Scott promised to return to a normal appropriations process instead of massive must-pass omnibus spending bills that allow Democrats to fund their entire agenda.
McConnell clashed with Scott when he challenged his leadership in the past
Scott tried to challenge McConnell as Senate Republican leader in 2022 and failed.
The new biography of McConnell titled The Price of Power revealed that the Kentucky lawmaker relished fighting with his fellow Republicans more than Democrats.
McConnell’s temper “could sometimes flare hotter when he was confronting Republicans who opposed him than when he was tangling with Democrats,” according to the book.
He boasted about his victory over Scott in the leadership vote.
“We had a good opportunity to discuss the differences, people had an opportunity to listen to both candidates, and I’m pretty proud of 37 to 10,” McConnell said.
McConnell is stepping down as leader but he is still serving out the rest of his term.
And he made it clear that he will battle conservatives for the rest of his time in the Senate.
“I’m still a traditional Republican: pro-trade, low taxes, pro-business. There are some on my side now who don’t sound that way,” McConnell told the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “I’m going to be arguing more with them probably than the Democrats.”
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
