McConnell reelected Senate GOP leader, overcoming challenge from Scott - CBS News

Washington — Senate Republicans reelected Sen. Mitch McConnell to different word arsenic number leader, his bureau said, defeating a situation from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida successful a enactment conflict that exposed divisions wrong a enactment inactive reeling from a disappointing showing successful the midterm elections.

GOP senators met for much than 3 hours Wednesday to elite their enactment posts for the caller Congress, which volition beryllium seated successful January. McConnell won 37 votes to Scott's 10, with 1 legislator voting "present," GOP Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana said.

"I don't ain this job. Anybody who wants to tally for it tin consciousness escaped to bash so," McConnell told reporters aft the vote. "I'm not successful immoderate mode offended by having an hostile oregon having a fewer votes successful opposition."

The Kentucky Republican said he's "proud" of the ballot count, and reflected that the gathering gave the GOP league the accidental to sermon their differences, arsenic good measure the midterm elections and what is to travel successful the adjacent contest.

"Everybody successful our league agrees we privation to springiness it our champion shot, decorativeness the occupation successful Georgia, and ore connected that for the adjacent month," McConnell said, referencing the Dec. 6 runoff predetermination betwixt Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

Some senators, including Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, unsuccessfully sought to hold the enactment elections until the results of the runoff successful Georgia's Senate contention are known. Sixteen senators voted to hold the elections, versus 32 who voted to determination forward, a root acquainted with the substance said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gives a thumbs-up arsenic helium leaves a gathering with Senate Republicans astatine the Capitol connected Nov. 16, 2022. Getty Images

In summation to reelecting McConnell arsenic GOP leader, the Republicans besides elected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota for GOP whip, Barrasso arsenic league chair, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa arsenic Republican Policy Committee seat and Sen. Steve Daines of Montana arsenic incoming seat of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP's run arm. None of the candidates faced opponents.

Scott, the outgoing NRSC seat who has travel nether occurrence for the committee's strategy successful the midterm elections, said Tuesday helium would situation McConnell for the relation of number person due to the fact that Republicans "must commencement saying what we are for, not conscionable what we are against." 

"Republican voters expect and merit to cognize our program to beforehand and beforehand blimpish values," Scott wrote successful a missive to colleagues. "We request to perceive to their calls for enactment and commencement governing successful Washington similar we run backmost astatine home. There is simply a Republican Party that is live and good successful communities crossed America. It is clip determination is 1 successful Washington, D.C., too."

Following his failed bid, the Florida legislator said the GOP league tin marque advancement toward helping American families by moving unneurotic to beforehand blimpish policies.

"We request to basal beardown connected our principles and beryllium accountable to those that elected america to really get things done that volition payment American families and support the aboriginal prosperity of our nation," Scott said successful a statement. "Although the results of today's elections weren't what we hoped for, this is acold from the extremity of our combat to marque Washington work."

McConnell has been the Republican person since 2006, steering the enactment done stints successful the bulk and minority. With his reelection to different enactment term, McConnell is poised to overtake Sen. Michael Mansfield, the Democratic person from 1961 to 1977, arsenic the longest-serving enactment head.

McConnell was dismissive of Scott's situation aft a lengthy gathering of GOP senators connected Tuesday, saying "the result is beauteous clear."

As caput of the NRSC, Scott oversaw the GOP's failed effort to triumph a bulk successful the Senate successful past week's midterm elections, and often clashed with McConnell implicit the party's run connection and strategy. He is besides an state of erstwhile President Donald Trump, who encouraged Senate Republicans to oust McConnell successful the aftermath of the elections.

During the closed-door gathering Tuesday, 2 Republican senators called for an audit of the NRSC and however it spent its resources, according to Politico. But Scott suggested successful a connection an audit was unnecessary and called for the McConnell-aligned groups Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) and One Nation to beryllium transparent with their spending.

"The NRSC has done an yearly autarkic audit each twelvemonth since astatine slightest 2014. When I took over, I instantly became alert that hundreds of thousands of dollars successful unauthorized and improper bonuses were paid to outgoing unit aft the bulk was mislaid successful 2020," Scott said. "When that's your starting point, you enactment truly hard to marque definite determination are transparent processes and we are much than blessed to beryllium down with immoderate subordinate of the caucus to locomotion them done our spending. We anticipation SLF and One Nation bash the same."

The tensions betwixt the erstwhile president and McConnell reached a fever transportation aft the Jan. 6, 2021, battle connected the U.S. Capitol, which McConnell said Trump was "morally responsible" for provoking. Since then, Trump has often lobbed insults astatine the Republican leader, calling him "third-rate" and an "old crow."

Trump launched his 3rd White House bid Tuesday nighttime from his South Florida property astatine Mar-a-Lago. Asked astir the erstwhile president's latest statesmanlike campaign, McConnell said helium planned to "stay retired of" the 2024 Republican primary.

The clash betwixt McConnell and Scott began soon aft the Florida Republican took implicit arsenic caput of the NRSC and escalated aft Scott released an 11-point "Rescue America" plan, which rapidly became fodder for President Biden and Democrats successful the run-up to the midterm elections.

McConnell swiftly rejected Scott's plan, namely proposals requiring low-income Americans to wage immoderate national income taxation — efficaciously raising taxes connected astir 40% of Americans — and calling for national authorities to sunset aft 5 years. The connection was a acquisition for Democrats, who hammered Republicans for perchance putting Medicare and Social Security connected the chopping block.

"We volition not person arsenic portion of our docket a measure that raises taxes connected fractional the American radical and sunsets Social Security and Medicare wrong 5 years," McConnell said successful March. "That volition not beryllium portion of a Republican Senate bulk agenda."