Race to replace McConnell as Senate GOP leader starts with Trump

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Lost in the mix of the 2024 presidential election is that Senate Republicans will need to select a new leader in the upper chamber after the election.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the longest-serving Senate leader in U.S. history, announced earlier this year that he will step down from that position in November and the battle to replace him may begin heating up soon.

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in February. “So I stand before you today … to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

That is not to say that the 82-year-old senator who has dealt with recent health problems is retiring to a rocking chair, as McConnell let it be known he will serve out his current term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.”

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), is reportedly seen as a likely candidate, especially since former President Donald Trump has apparently voiced his approval.

Fox News noted this week that Daines “has notably refused to rule out the possibility of running for the top Senate GOP role.”

Other names mentioned as potential candidates are Sens. John Thune (R-SD), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Rick Scott (R-FL).

Unhappy with the status quo, Scott challenged McConnell for the leadership role in 2022, losing in a secret ballot after 37 Republicans reportedly voted for McConnell. Ten supported Scott and one voted “present.” Scott, who is facing reelection in November in a seat Democrats are targeting, also maintains a strong relationship with Trump.

Daines said in July of the potential leaders, “I think we have got good candidates to lead the Republicans, and all three are great friends of mine and all three of them would do a good job.”

If he decides to throw his hat into the ring, Daines will need to produce results in the November election.

More from Fox News:

While Trump’s admiration could prove a significant advantage for Daines if he chooses to enter the race, his role as NRSC chair could also make any chance he has at winning contingent on the results of the November election.

As one Senate GOP aide said, “Senate Republicans need to post huge numbers on election night for him to have a shot.”

Daines is currently overseeing multiple key Senate races in states such as Montana, Ohio, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona, in several of which Republicans are hoping to knock off vulnerable incumbent Democrats.

Another name to look for may be Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who has suggested the next leader may have yet to make himself known.

“Someone’s going to jump in,” he told reporters in July, according to Fox News. “I think it’s imminently possible. I mean, that’s how it happened last time.”

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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.