Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was re-elected overwhelmingly as his party’s Senate Leader on Wednesday, holding off Senator Rick Scott Florida in The first challenge was Mr. McConnell Has faced since taking over the post in 2007.
Although Mr. McConnell The contest was won convincingly. It exposed a division over strategy among the participants. Senate It is possible that Republicans will be hindered in their efforts to defeat the Democratic majority for the next two years.
Republican senators sat behind closed doors for three hours. in The Old Senate ChamberA semicircular room with marble columns and an elaborate central table with crimson fabric was used to settle their differences and vote. The final vote was 37-10 with Mr. McConnell Mr. Scott.
Mr. Scott, who led the party’s unsuccessful campaign effort to reclaim the majority, portrayed Mr. McConnell As the face of the status-quo. Many Senate Instead, Republicans elected Mr. Scott a poor showing in the midterm.
Mr. McConnellWho months ago raised this money? “candidate quality” As a problem to his party in The Republican losses in the midterms were a sign of a party that has suffered from severe damage and had lost key voting groups.
“We underperformed among independents and moderates because their impression of many of the people in our party in leadership roles is that there’s chaos, negativity, excessive attacks — and it frightened independent and moderate Republican voters,” Mr. McConnell According to reporters, he said Tuesday that he accepted the challenge from Mr. Scott.
Despite repeated calls to postpone the vote on the leadership until after a runoff in Georgia set for Dec. 6, most Senate Republicans stated that they must quickly end the infighting and move forward.
“I think the most important thing we can do is get these differences behind us,” Senator John Cornyn (Republican of Texas) said that he supports the bill. McConnell ally.
When will the next Congress meet? in January, Mr. McConnell Will set the record for the longest time served in A Senate Mike Mansfield, Montana’s leader, is surpassed.
