On Friday, Mitch McConnell’s consigliere, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), ended all efforts to postpone the vote for Senate leader. This is as ballot counting continues.
Barrasso denied requests by some Republican senators to delay Wednesday’s leadership vote until after all Senate votes are counted.
McConnell’s Lieutenant wrote a letter advising the Senators of the decision.
“We look forward to meeting next week with our new and returning members. I expect a full and open discussion beginning at Tuesday’s policy lunch on our path forward,” he wrote in a letter obtained by CNN. “On Wednesday, we will meet again for our scheduled conference for elections.”
“I welcome the questions and points made in the letter circulated by Senators Rick Scott, Lee, and Johnson,” Barrasso, who is in charge of leadership elections, wrote.
Barrasso’s letter comes after Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Mike Lee (R-UT) have voiced opposition to leadership elections until candidates’ dedication to conservative ideas are vetted.
In a second letter circulated Friday among Republican senators, those senators impressed upon their colleagues that “serious discussions” must occur about why the red wave did not materialize.
The Mitch contingent will blame Trump, and conservatives will blame Mitch. Mitch put money into defeating Trump-backed Republicans in the primary and claimed Trump candidates were weak. Meanwhile some of Mitch candidates did not do that well either. He poured money into O’Dea in Colorado since he was the “perfect candidate.” He lost handily.
As Sen. Hawley said, Republicans didn’t offer a positive agenda. They didn’t say what they stand for, just that Biden is terrible.
We now hear from one of Trump’s top aides that Donald Trump will run for president in 2024. No one doubts he will run. We don’t need an announcement.
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