The 2022 midterms are coming, and all eyes are on states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. But there is another, little known election, that no one is talking about. And that election is for the Republican leader of the senate.
Every two years, after the midterm elections, Senators of the two respective parties each vote on who will be the party leader. Since 2007, Mitch McConnell has been elected as Republican leader, and in 2020, won by unanimous vote. However, recently, McConnell’s relationship with the rest of the GOP has become strained.
We can first start talking about how Trump will continually bash McConnell every chance he gets. Then, we can talk about how according to 538, McConnell votes with Biden’s agenda 54.5 percent of the time. We can go on and on talking about how McConnell has gotten into a bit of a feud with fellow Kentucky Senator Rand Paul over a court appointment, and how the Republican Senate Candidate for Arizona ran on a campaign that criticized McConnell. But this back and forth seems to have now reached its climax, with McConnell blaming “candidate quality” for the reason Republican’s might not win the Senate. While McConnell’s statements have received it’s usual criticism from Trump, conservative media also seems to be attacking him, with many saying that it is time for McConnell’s reign as leader to end.
This all comes back to the part about McConnell’s leadership spot being up for election this year. For example, there have been reports that South Dakota Senator John Thune, Texas Senator John Cornyn, and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso all have leadership aspirations.
While it is almost certain McConnell will retain his leadership position (I expect around 35 out of the 50 Republican Senators to vote for him), it’s the margin that matters. Last time, McConnell won unanimously. If it is even somewhat close this time, it might signal a massive change in the Republican Party.