Senate Republicans returned to Washington on Tuesday for the first time since winning one A comfortable majority in the Senate and the victory of the presidential candidate Donald Trumpbut most already have their eyes on Wednesday’s separate election to determine the new house party leader.
Three senators are running to replace Mitch McConnell, who served a record-breaking 17 years in the Senate Republican Conference. McConnell announcing his intention to leave earlier this year, Sen. John Thune, the current Republican whip, will run against Sen. John Cornyn, a former Texas senator and Republican, and Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican who just won re-election to his second term.
Before a vote scheduled for Wednesday morning, Republicans met behind closed doors for more than two hours Tuesday to hear arguments from Thune, Cornyn and Scott, as well as other senators running for leadership positions on the ballot. Any other candidate who wanted to put his name in the party leadership contests would be allowed during the meeting.
Senators described the room as “energetic” but not a debate.
After the meeting ended and Thune left the event, he told reporters that he had a chance to hear from the candidates on Tuesday night.
Asked specifically about the whip count, Thune was vague.
“You never know until voters vote,” Thune said.
Cornyn was silent as he left the room, “I’ll give it to my colleagues, not you.”
Even before Tuesday’s meeting, the candidates began making final arguments and working to assert their loyalty to Trump, whose influence could undoubtedly change the outcome of the race.
Senator John Cornyn, Senator John Thune and Senator Rick Scott.
AP/Reuters
Cornyn wrote a letter to colleagues obtained by ABC News on Tuesday in which he repeatedly denounced his commitment to Trump’s agenda and his confirmation of his Cabinet picks.
“It is imperative that Republicans step up to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda for the American people,” Cornyn wrote in the letter, citing GOP success in the House, Senate, White House.
Scott, meanwhile, has made appearances on cable news in recent days and has backed Trump-aligned outsiders, including Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He has tried to position himself as a candidate in line with Trump. .
And Thune, who has had perhaps the most frosty relationship with Trump among the candidates, has also made it clear that he has been in regular contact with Trump’s team, and has made public statements supporting Trump’s proposals, including potential changes to the way the Senate operates.
Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the leadership race, instead insisting that whoever is elected supports his use. recess appointmentswhich would allow him to fill temporary federal jobs without Senate approval.
All three candidates have expressed their willingness to use this strategy to quickly fill Trump’s cabinet.
