{"id":566647,"date":"2023-03-20T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/mcconnells-absence-leaves-colleagues-wondering-about-gops-future\/"},"modified":"2023-03-20T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T10:00:00","slug":"mcconnells-absence-leaves-colleagues-wondering-about-gops-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mcconnells-absence-leaves-colleagues-wondering-about-gops-future\/","title":{"rendered":"#McConnell\u2019s absence leaves colleagues wondering about GOP\u2019s future"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2599e7252b0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2599e7252b0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mcconnells-absence-leaves-colleagues-wondering-about-gops-future\/#McConnells_absence_leaves_colleagues_wondering_about_GOPs_future\" >McConnell\u2019s absence leaves colleagues wondering about GOP\u2019s future<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"McConnells_absence_leaves_colleagues_wondering_about_GOPs_future\"><\/span>McConnell\u2019s absence leaves colleagues wondering about GOP\u2019s future<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/mcconnellmitch_030723gn08_w.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell\u2019s (R-Ky.) extended absence from the Senate has stirred speculation among Republican senators over how much longer the 81-year-old senator will lead the Senate GOP conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no word yet on McConnell\u2019s date of return, but some lawmakers expect he may not come back to the Senate until mid-April, after the two-week Easter and Passover recess. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve heard senators say, half-jokingly, I wonder if the people who want to be leader are starting to count votes,\u201d one Republican senator said. \u201cPeople are thinking this is probably good reminder that he\u2019s not going to be leader in 10 years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a state of limbo. Nobody really knows what the situation is and nobody knows how long he\u2019ll be gone,\u201d the lawmaker added. \u201cA couple of folks have said, \u2018Who\u2019s in charge right now.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another GOP senator privately expressed concern to The Hill last week about the future of the Senate Republican Conference after McConnell retires. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think, who would be our next leader and what kind of leader would that person be?\u201d the senator said. \u201cYeah, I do worry about that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Republican Party is changing and some GOP lawmakers fear that could accelerate if former President Trump wins the party\u2019s presidential nomination or <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> election in 2024. Speculation about Trump is rising again this week as the former president himself predicts an indictment over a hush-money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels.<\/p>\n<p>Before his injury, McConnell was trying to put his stamp on the future makeup of the Senate GOP conference by playing a significant role in next year\u2019s Senate primaries, helping candidates who have an eye toward governing and the best chance of winning in November.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>He told Fox <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> last month that in West Virginia, Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania \u201cwe\u2019re focusing on now to try to get the very most electable candidate nominated.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said McConnell\u2019s \u201cgot a better instinct for the electorate than virtually anybody in the Senate.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he\u2019s representing good conservative value and at the same understanding the political boundaries we need in to resonate at a national level and in purple states and even blue states,\u201d he said, predicting that McConnell will remain as leader through his current Senate term, which ends after 2026. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI have full confidence in him, I\u2019m going to support him,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some Republican senators think that McConnell\u2019s successor would lead in the same way he has by promoting traditional Republican values, cutting deals with Democrats when necessary and promoting unity across the Senate Republican Conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>GOP senators say they expect either Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) or Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to someday replace McConnell as leader and predict that either man would inspire a lot of confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Thune is the second-ranking Senate Republican leader, but he will step down from that job at the end of 2024 because of Republican conference term limits. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thune built strong relationships with the business community during his time as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and has an impressive track record of moving legislation, getting more than 100 bills signed into law. He was one of the \u201ccore four\u201d Republican senators who put together the landmark 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He actively raised money for Senate colleagues and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and has more than $16.5 million in his campaign account.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Thune is open to the possibility of running for leader someday, but says any talk about him succeeding McConnell is putting \u201cthe cart before the horse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf and when the time comes, I\u2019m always interested in what I can do to help our team succeed but certainly right now just trying to get from one day to the next,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cornyn has made it clear that he\u2019s also interested in serving as leader whenever McConnell decides to retire.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Cornyn\u2019s allies tout him as the biggest Senate Republican fundraiser after McConnell and the Senate GOP\u2019s campaign arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He raised $11 million in hard dollars through the Cornyn Victory Committee to aid Republican campaigns directly and he raised another $9 million for the NRSC and Senate GOP incumbents and candidates, hosting and attending events in Texas, Washington and around the country. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He also played a central role in negotiating two of the biggest bipartisan accomplishments of 2022: gun violence legislation to respond to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and the $280 billion CHIPS and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a> Act. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>McConnell asked Cornyn to take the lead on the difficult gun violence issue because he wanted to get a result that wouldn\u2019t create a rift between GOP senators and gun rights advocates. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thune stood in for McConnell last week by presiding over the Monday afternoon Senate Republican leadership meeting and taking the lead in speaking to reporters at the Tuesday leadership press conference. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But McConnell has continued to play a role. His staff worked closely with Thune\u2019s staff to set the agenda for the Monday leadership meeting, which was still held in his Capitol office. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Asked how it felt to be in charge of the GOP conference while McConnell is away, Thune laughed and answered: \u201cI don\u2019t think of it as being in charge, I think we\u2019re all trying to pitch in and help the team however we can.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re working closely with the leader\u2019s team to make sure all the bases get covered,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>McConnell sent a message to colleagues Thursday when they gathered for a lunch hosted by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) to say he was doing well and sorry to miss out on the delicious Maine lobster rolls prepared by a Park City restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t anticipate there to be an uncertainty whatsoever. His return is absolute,\u201d said Josh Holmes, a senior political adviser to McConnell, who added that the GOP leader is showing good progress at a rehab facility. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBased on everything we\u2019ve seen over the last week any suspicion otherwise will be voided almost im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely when he gets back,\u201d he added, knocking down speculation that McConnell\u2019s condition is worse than has been publicly reported.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>McConnell has a solid grip on the Senate Republican leader\u2019s job, which he showed in November by easily defeating Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in a leadership race by a vote of 37-10.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He is biggest fundraiser for Senate Republican candidates and helped raise $290 million for the 2022 midterm through an affiliated super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But McConnell has also bitterly feuded with Trump. In addition, his commitment to free trade, a strong national defense and political pragmatism is sometimes a friction point with Republicans who embrace Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d populism. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>McConnell\u2019s break with Trump opened the door for Scott to challenge him, something that Trump publicly encouraged. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Several Republicans who voted for Scott said McConnell has led the GOP conference for long enough \u2014 more than 16 years. The Kentucky senator in January surpassed late-Sen. Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.) as the longest-serving Senate leader in history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI voted for change,\u201d Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told The Hill in November. \u201cNothing against Mitch, I just think we need change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some Republicans, however, think McConnell has performed a major service for the Senate GOP conference by absorbing so much of Trump\u2019s wrath and taking the heat of other senators who have their own complaints and disagreements with the former president. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They say he also soaks up criticism from the media and critics on the left that would otherwise fall on other GOP senators. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne thing about McConnell\u2019s total value is that he\u2019ll just take it from anybody for anybody,\u201d said a third Republican senator who requested anonymity to talk about the future of the Senate GOP leadership. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The senator said Thune and Cornyn are the clear front-runners to become the next leader but still have to prove they can fill McConnell\u2019s shoes as a political heat shield for other Republican senators.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think both of them are like that but I don\u2019t know. I think they\u2019d have to convince some people that they are,\u201d the senator said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/3907433-mcconnells-absence-leaves-colleagues-wondering-about-gops-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>McConnell\u2019s absence leaves colleagues wondering about GOP\u2019s future Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell\u2019s (R-Ky.) extended absence from the Senate has stirred speculation among Republican senators over how much longer the 81-year-old senator will lead the Senate GOP conference.\u00a0 There\u2019s no word yet on McConnell\u2019s date of return, but some lawmakers expect he may not come&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":566648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/03\/mcconnellmitch_030723gn08_w.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[117,134343,4941,10574,70610,33487,136371,135614,71671,41445,134438,126546,134345,127460],"class_list":["post-566647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-business","tag-campaign","tag-donald-trump","tag-education","tag-finance","tag-immigration","tag-john-cornyn","tag-john-thune","tag-lindsey-graham","tag-mitch-mcconnell","tag-prevention-cures","tag-rick-scott","tag-state-watch","tag-thom-tillis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=566647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/566648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=566647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=566647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=566647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}