Senate GOP reelects McConnell as leader

Mitch McConnell was reelected to caput the Senate Republican league connected Wednesday, defeating challenger Rick Scott, a chap subordinate of enactment who chairs the chamber’s GOP run arm.

Scott (R-Fla.) launched the long-shot bid connected Tuesday, determined to situation the “status quo” nether McConnell aft the GOP failed to instrumentality power of the Senate. McConnell is present connected way to beryllium the longest serving enactment person successful the chamber’s history.

McConnell prevailed implicit Scott successful a 37-10 vote.

Some Senate Republicans had pushed for delaying the enactment elections, but that ballot failed, 16-32, connected Wednesday morning, paving the mode for McConnell’s reelection. Still, it hasn’t been a beauteous week: Senate Republicans spent 3 hours Tuesday venting astir their whiffed midterm cycle, the deficiency of an agenda, Scott’s perceived mismanagement of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and McConnell’s stewardship of the caucus.

And Wednesday wasn’t overmuch better. As senators called for an audit of the NRSC, Scott attacked the enactment of erstwhile run limb Chair Todd Young (R-Ind.) for giving “unauthorized and improper bonuses” to unit 2 years ago.

Republicans anticipation the speedy closure of the enactment races volition enactment the squabbling down them up of the Georgia runoff, which volition find if the Senate remains evenly divided adjacent word oregon if Democrats volition summation a seat.