Dem
51
GOP
49
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is not your garden-variety turtle. Usually, when danger appears, a turtle hides in its shell. Not so McConnell. He is getting increasingly angry and public about Donald Trump's blowing his chances for a promotion from minority leader to majority leader. In fact, he just got a demotion from a tied 50-50 Senate, where Chuck Schumer had to deal with him, to a 51-49 Senate where Schumer will unambiguously call the shots in January.
McConnell has talked about the Republicans' "candidate quality" problem before, but never specified how it happened. Was it just bad luck? Were the stars aligned against the Republicans? Was Ronna Romney McDaniel an evil enchantress who cursed the party? Well, no. McConnell is now saying the problem is Donald Trump. This is the first time he has said that directly. It is going to start a civil war within the Republican Party, with some leaders siding with McConnell and others siding with Trump, even if they believe that McConnell is completely correct.
What changed McConnell's mind? Well, that USA Today/Suffolk University poll showing that 61% of Republican voters want someone other than Trump to be the Party's nominee in 2024 probably impressed him. And obviously, he doesn't want Trump backing losers in 2024 Senate races, as he did in 2022. Another GOP senator, albeit one not willing to put their name to their words, said Trump is "leaking oil."
We won't be surprised if this is the start of a much more open confrontation between GOP senators and Trump. On the House side, probably not so much. But some governors, who are more insulated from D.C. politics, may also start feeling free to take pot shots at Trump. After all, he probably cost the Party governor's mansions in winnable races in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. He also made races where the Democrat was favored into races where the Democrat was a slam dunk in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, and New York. His only gubernatorial win was in Nevada, but that was probably more due to crime being a big issue and the Republican gubernatorial candidate being the sheriff of Clark County (Las Vegas).
Will all the senators come around and support Trump in 2024? We don't know. So far, only one of them, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), has bestowed their endorsement on him. It seems unlikely that any others will do so until it becomes clear who is going to be the nominee. Nobody wants to end up endorsing Trump if Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) becomes the next president. Like Trump, DeSantis has a mean streak and a good memory for people who opposed him.
What is especially interesting is that Fox is not burying this story. The first sentence of its item about McConnell is: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is blaming former President Donald Trump for Republicans' underwhelming performance in key midterm races, saying the party had 'candidate quality' issues." From any other news outlet, that would be simple and obvious summary of the actual news item. But from Fox, it is a direct criticism of Trump, something it rarely does. The Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post and Wall Street Journal have criticized Trump recently, but Fox has so far not led the fight against the former president. Could this be a sign that Murdoch is slowly but surely moving away from Trump and will soon be actively pitching Ron DeSantis for president in 2024? It could be. (V)