McConnell’s Absence Ignites Retirement Rumors

Amid the calls by Democrats for California Sen. Dianne Feinstein to resign, there’s speculation the chamber’s Republican caucus is bracing for a major announcement.

From none other than Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

After falling at a private event for the Senate Leadership Fund held at the Waldorf Astoria on March 8 in Washington, D.C., McConnell left the public eye. The 81-year-old reportedly suffered a concussion. He is recovering at home after receiving inpatient care.

Multiple sources say that Republican conference leaders, Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., John Cornyn, R-Texas and John Thune, R-S.D. have already begun lobbying their colleagues for support ahead of a possible leadership vote.

According to one report, Cornyn has been particularly aggressive, courting GOP colleagues he previously kept at arm’s length.

The vote would occur should McConnell resign from his leadership position or retire.

The Spectator has more:

Requests are being targeted at a plethora of conservative senators, including the sixteen who voted to delay the leadership election earlier this year, a proxy for opposition to McConnell’s leadership. Rick Scott, the Florida senator and former NRSC head who challenged McConnell, ultimately received ten protest votes. These members could prove key to determining the next Republican leader. Queries are also being made internally about the rules regarding replacement, and how the contest would be structured given the lack of an obvious heir apparent.

…

McConnell has guided the Republican Senate since 2007, and his role at the top of the party has been enormously significant. As the longest serving Senate Party Leader in history, he has been both a target for critics of the Republican establishment and a skilled leader in the judicial nomination fights that became one of the most important battlefields in Washington. His departure from the role of Republican leader would leave a massive vacuum, one that could be filled by Barrasso, Cornyn, Thune or potentially a dark horse ambitious enough to seize the moment.

McConnell is a giant in the history of the Senate — and much as many may question his methods, his departure from leadership would create new chaos for the GOP. Cockburn has reached out to Senator McConnell’s office for comment.

If McConnell retires, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) must appoint a replacement senator from the same party. In that case, Kentucky would require the state GOP committee to nominate three candidates who Beshear would choose from.

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