Rumors are swirling that several Republican senators are preparing for Minority Leader Mitch McConnel to retire, following a serious fall last month that hospitalized him.
According to a report from The Spectator, John Barrasso (R-ND), John Cornyn (R-TX), and John Thune (R-SD) are taking steps to prepare for a leadership vote. They are actively reaching out to other Republican senators to gather support for a possible leadership vote.
McConnell’s injuries were revealed to be a concussion and a broken rib.
McConnell was released from the hospital on March 13. His office stated that he has been receiving physical therapy since then to regain strength.
McConnell is 81-years-old.
From The Spectator:
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell has been out of the public eye for weeks, following a serious fall that hospitalized him. Now multiple sources confirm that Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota are actively reaching out to fellow Republican senators in efforts to prepare for an anticipated leadership vote — a vote that would occur upon announcement that McConnell would be retiring from his duties as leader, and presumably the Senate itself.
One source says that Cornyn has been particularly active in his preparations, taking fellow senators with whom he has little in common to lunch in attempts to court them.
Requests are being targeted at a plethora of conservative senators, including the sixteen who voted to delay the leadership election earlier this year, a proxy for opposition to McConnell’s leadership. Rick Scott, the Florida senator and former NRSC head who challenged McConnell, ultimately received ten protest votes. These members could prove key to determining the next Republican leader. Queries are also being made internally about the rules regarding replacement, and how the contest would be structured given the lack of an obvious heir apparent.
McConnell fell at a dinner event for the Senate Leadership Fund on March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria, formerly the Trump Hotel, in Washington, DC. He suffered a concussion, and only after being treated at a hospital and at his home did murmurs begin that he might be unable to return to the Senate. These discussions increased in volume based on the inability of other senators to do their jobs — with California’s Dianne Feinstein missing votes due to a shingles diagnosis and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania’s hospitalization for depression.
McConnell has guided the Republican Senate since 2007, and his role at the top of the party has been enormously significant. As the longest serving Senate Party Leader in history, he has been both a target for critics of the Republican establishment and a skilled leader in the judicial nomination fights that became one of the most important battlefields in Washington.
His departure from the role of Republican leader would leave a massive vacuum, one that could be filled by Barrasso, Cornyn, Thune or potentially a dark horse ambitious enough to seize the moment.
McConnell is a giant in the history of the Senate — and much as many may question his methods, his departure from leadership would create new chaos for the GOP. Cockburn has reached out to Senator McConnell’s office for comment.
On Thursday, McConnell said he’s returning to the senate on Monday.
