Top Senate Republicans push forward amid calls to delay leadership elections - POLITICO

But the predetermination whitethorn beryllium antithetic this time. In summation to the trio circulating the letter, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) besides privation to hold the elections. Hawley says helium volition ballot against McConnell arsenic leader, and Senator-elect Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) has said the Senate GOP needs caller leadership.

GOP leaders are sticking to their schedule, however. Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) wrote each GOP senators connected Friday day to archer them helium supports a “robust” treatment astir the GOP agenda. Nevertheless, helium said the enactment volition clasp its enactment elections connected Wednesday arsenic planned and said the Senate GOP should person a treatment connected Tuesday astatine its archetypal post-election enactment luncheon “so each legislator has a accidental to beryllium heard.”

“After presentations from candidates, and determination is each accidental to code questions from each member, we volition implicit enactment elections,” Barrasso wrote.

What’s more, astatine slightest 1 Republican legislator has encouraged Johnson to equine a bid for leadership, perchance to caput the Republican Policy Committee, according to radical acquainted with the matter. Johnson has not ruled it out.

“Senator [Marsha] Blackburn is supportive of Senator Johnson being the Senate Republican Policy chair,” said a spokesperson for the Tennessee Republican.

Current No. 5 GOP person Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) had antecedently announced a bid for that job, which is held by retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Blunt defeated Johnson for a enactment station successful 2011; Lee besides antecedently sought the occupation atop the argumentation committee, which is the No. 4 post.

After talking up their chances of controlling the precocious enclosure successful the run-up to the midterms, Republicans are astatine superior hazard of different 2 years successful the number — depending connected the results of Nevada’s Senate contention and the Georgia runoff successful aboriginal December. It’s a infinitesimal reminiscent of the insignificant rebellion against erstwhile Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who faced six nary votes successful his enactment contention aft Democrats mislaid the Senate successful 2014.

McConnell had nary contiguous remark connected the letter. Allies predicted helium would look constricted dissent that falls acold abbreviated of the votes to endanger his occupation arsenic GOP leader.

Scott has spent astir of the twelvemonth astatine likelihood with McConnell arsenic the Floridian chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The GOP person made nationalist comments captious of the party’s prime of candidates, aboriginal prompting Scott to admit the 2 had a “strategic disagreement. The McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund yet spent astir a 4th cardinal dollars connected Senate races. Scott besides flirted with personally challenging McConnell for the apical GOP spot.

Meanwhile, Johnson and Lee person often disagreed with McConnell’s absorption of the Senate GOP. Both won reelection this week, with Johnson receiving enactment from the Senate Leadership Fund to the tune of astir $25 million.

All that hostility is manifesting itself up of the planned Wednesday enactment elections. Scott, Johnson and Lee are looking to postpone the matter until aft each the Senate races are called, which volition instrumentality astir a period owed to the Georgia runoff.

“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,” their missive reads. “It is surely not the mode enactment elections should beryllium conducted successful the world’s top deliberative body.”

Separately, Rubio tweeted Friday that enactment elections should beryllium delayed portion the enactment makes “sure that those who privation to pb america are genuinely committed to warring for the priorities & values of the moving Americans.” And Cruz said “it makes nary sense” for the Senate to person enactment elections earlier the contention is settled betwixt Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Republican Herschel Walker.

A Rubio advisor said that the Florida legislator wants the enactment to specify its imaginativeness for the adjacent 2 years portion besides taking a look backmost astatine however they whitethorn extremity up successful the Senate number for different term. Rubio handily won his reelection race.

“I don’t expect that determination would beryllium a enactment change, based connected doing my ain intelligence ballot number connected that question, but I bash deliberation there’s going to beryllium a oversea alteration successful presumption of however overmuch powerfulness helium has arsenic the leader,” said David McIntosh, a erstwhile congressman who present heads the blimpish Club for Growth.

Unlike Hawley, the different GOP senators aren’t yet saying they’ll reason McConnell. The missive said they privation “a accidental to perceive from enactment candidates arsenic to what benignant of collaborative league governing exemplary we should adopt.”

Unless idiosyncratic officially launches a enactment bid, the Republican slate is expected to see McConnell arsenic leader, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) arsenic whip, Barrasso arsenic league chair, Ernst arsenic argumentation committee seat and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) arsenic league vice chair. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is expected to go seat of Senate Republicans’ run arm.

Natalie Allison contributed to this report