Some Republicans call for delaying Senate leadership elections in challenge to McConnell - The Washington Post

“Holding enactment elections without proceeding from the candidates arsenic to however they volition execute their enactment duties and earlier we cognize whether we volition beryllium successful the bulk oregon adjacent who each our members are violates the astir basal principles of a antiauthoritarian process,” Scott, president of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Lee wrote successful a missive they circulated to their GOP colleagues, according to Politico.

Rubio wrote connected Twitter connected Friday that the caucus needs idiosyncratic “genuinely committed” to “fighting for the priorities & values of the moving Americans (of each background) who gave america large wins successful states similar #Florida.”

Hawley quickly endorsed the idea, penning connected Twitter, “I don’t cognize wherefore Senate GOP would clasp a enactment ballot for the adjacent Congress earlier this predetermination is finished.” Ballots are inactive being counted successful Arizona and Nevada successful summation to the Georgia runoff.

Spokesmen for McConnell and Scott declined to comment. Email and telephone messages for Lee were not instantly returned.

The rebellion represents the astir superior situation to McConnell’s lengthy enactment tenure and comes aft Republicans spent millions of dollars connected losing Senate races successful Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, on with redeeming GOP candidates successful Republican-leaning states similar Ohio.

The Senate Leadership Fund PAC, intimately associated with McConnell, spent much than $230 cardinal this rhythm backing Republicans successful races crossed the country.

Yet the GOP faces the chiseled imaginable that it whitethorn not reclaim the bulk contempt pre-election precocious hopes based connected disapproval of President Biden, grounds ostentation and accepted losses for the enactment successful power. As of Friday, Democrats were increasingly optimistic astir holding connected to their seats successful Arizona and Nevada — 2 states inactive counting votes — which would springiness them the majority.

The fallout implicit the GOP’s dismal show extended to the House, wherever Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who hopes to assertion the speakership if the GOP wins the chamber, faced increasing opposition.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) tweeted Friday that McCarthy is “not a Speaker for these times.”

The tweet is simply a awesome of Gaetz’s hardening absorption to McCarthy arsenic it becomes wide that if Republicans instrumentality power of the House it volition beryllium by a constrictive margin. That means McCarthy cannot spend to suffer galore votes from his colleagues.

Gaetz, a staunch state of erstwhile president Donald Trump, antecedently told reporters McCarthy was not his archetypal choice.

Among different troubling signals for McCarthy, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) has said McCarthy “has done thing to earn” the speakership, and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) has said “no 1 presently has 218” votes — the fig needed to triumph the speakership successful the afloat chamber.

Moreover, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) person declined to accidental whether they would enactment McCarthy. The Washington Post’s predetermination exemplary shows Republicans winning 220 seats, acold less gains than the dozens immoderate successful the GOP expected.

In his tweet, Gaetz cited respective perceived deficiencies with McCarthy, including his telling different GOP leaders that Trump should resign successful the contiguous aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected the Capitol.

“Kevin is FLIGHT implicit FIGHT erstwhile the chips are down,” Gaetz said.

In the Senate, McConnell faced criticism from immoderate Republicans successful August erstwhile helium played down the party’s chances of winning control, citing “candidate quality.”

Trump besides has repeatedly mocked and criticized McConnell, portion pressing Republicans to oust the GOP leader. McConnell recognized Biden’s triumph successful December 2020, angering Trump, and past blamed the erstwhile president for the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol.

Leadership elections had been acceptable for Wednesday and, truthful far, nary legislator has formally announced they would tally against McConnell.

The Republican Senate enactment votes are done down closed doors and by concealed ballot. McConnell would request lone a elemental bulk to triumph and helium has said helium has the votes helium needs. If helium does win, McConnell volition surpass Mike Mansfield’s grounds for longest stint arsenic enactment person successful the Senate.

A Rubio adviser, who spoke connected the information of anonymity to talk candidly astir the interior dynamics of the caucus, said Republicans are “frustrated” by their lackluster midterms performance, aft they hoped to decisively triumph backmost the bulk connected Tuesday. Rubio, who won his contention successful Florida by a ample margin, wants Senate Republicans to fig retired “what successful the satellite happened” earlier they elite their adjacent leaders, the idiosyncratic said.

The Rubio advisor did not regularisation retired that Rubio himself would question a enactment spot, but said the senator’s absorption was connected getting Republicans to absorption connected their argumentation priorities earlier deciding who should pb them.

In their letter, Scott and Lee besides wrote, “We are each disappointed that a Red Wave failed to materialize, and determination are aggregate reasons it did not,” according to Politico. “We request to person superior discussions wrong our league arsenic to wherefore and what we tin bash to amended our chances successful 2024.”

In an interrogation published Friday, Hawley told RealClearPolitics, “I’m not going to enactment the existent enactment successful the party,” citing weapon power and clime alteration legislation. “We surrendered erstwhile we should’ve fought.”

John Wagner contributed to this report.