WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell fended off a challenge to his leadership of Senate Republicans on Wednesday, beating back a long-shot provocation from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who commanded the party’s campaign committee this cycle.
McConnell was reelected Republican leader by a majority of his 49 colleagues after a failed attempt by a group of senators to delay the vote until after Georgia’s Senate runoff election on Dec. 6.
The motion to delay the vote for Republican leader gained just 16 votes; Scott’s bid against McConnell netted even fewer votes, just 10.
In the week since the midterm elections, anguished Republicans from all corners of the party have been assigning blame to the disappointing outcome. Democrats maintained control of the Senate while Republicans will only have a narrow majority to work with in the House.
The quiet hostilities between McConnell and Scott burst out into open as the two men traded accusations about their dueling unsuccessful political strategies.
On Tuesday, McConnell said the GOP fell short of expectations due to independent and moderate voters being turned off by candidates who were “involved in chaos, negativity” and “excessive attacks.”
Declaring the status quo “broken,” Scott, who will turn 70 next month, offered himself up as an alternative that could unite the party around “a bold conservative agenda.”
Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Mike Braun of Indiana were among Scott’s backers.
But old-guard Republicans in or close to leadership — including Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia — bolstered McConnell’s victory.
McConnell, who has led the caucus since 2007, is the longest-serving GOP leader in Senate history.
Even before the vote against Scott, he expressed easy confidence.
“I have the votes. I will be elected. The only issue is whether it will be sooner or later,” he said on Tuesday.
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