Mitch McConnell beats back challenge, but Senate GOP troubles remain - MSNBC

Ahead of today’s ballot connected the Senate Republicans’ leadership, GOP members archetypal considered a related question: whether to hold the ballot itself. The measurement didn’t travel particularly adjacent to passing, but 16 Republican senators — representing astir a 3rd of the GOP league — voted to disregard enactment leaders’ petition and dilatory the process down.

That acceptable the signifier for the enactment choosing the Senate number person for the adjacent Congress. Incumbent person Mitch McConnell was apt pleased with the outcome, though the person 1 looked astatine the details, the much evident the party’s troubles appeared. NBC News reported:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was re-elected arsenic Republican person connected Wednesday, defeating a situation from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida that reflects increasing angst wrong the enactment aft it underperformed successful the midterm elections. The secret-ballot triumph was confirmed by McConnell spokesperson David Popp, with Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., telling reporters that 37 Republicans voted for McConnell portion 10 supported Scott and 1 legislator voted “present.”

At archetypal blush, a 37-to-10 ballot mightiness look similar a lopsided victory. But arsenic we’ve discussed, it was astir 16 years agone erstwhile McConnell archetypal became the Senate Republican’s apical leader, and astatine the time, helium ran unopposed. In each Congress since, the Kentucky legislator has asked to stay successful the presumption — sometimes arsenic bulk leader, different times arsenic number person — and he’s never faced an intraparty rival.

This year, Rick Scott, hoping to parlay nonaccomplishment into a promotion, ran against him anyway. The far-right Floridian and his allies knew the bid was a longshot, but they intended to nonstop a awesome of intra-party discontent.

They succeeded. After astir 16 years of 100% backing from Senate Republicans, McConnell received different word aft much than a 5th of his league chose not to backmost him.

The ballot was a secret-ballot process conducted down closed doors, truthful we’ll apt ne'er cognize with certainty however each subordinate voted, but Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin formally nominated Scott for leader, and immoderate high-profile GOP senators — including Texas’ Ted Cruz and South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham — said they voted for the challenger implicit the incumbent.

At this point, the bully quality for number person is that he’s going to support his existent job. The atrocious quality is that, from McConnell’s perspective, determination isn’t immoderate different bully news.

Republicans fell acold abbreviated of their expectations successful the midterm elections; Donald Trump, who makes nary effort to fell his hatred for McConnell, conscionable launched yet different statesmanlike campaign; and GOP senators are intelligibly not agreed connected overmuch of anything. Indeed, The Hill reported that Senate Republicans met yesterday and “let their fury and vexation retired astatine 1 another” successful a gathering that turned “nasty and personal.”

The McConnell-Scott feud appears improbable to end anytime soon; the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s finances are facing a imaginable audit; and arsenic his tenure arsenic NRSC president comes to an end, Scott is present alleging without evidence that determination were improper activities astatine the NRSC earlier helium took over.

If you’re reasoning that Democrats are enjoying each of this, you’re right.