There is a new date of Nov 16, 2022, 02:47pmEST.
Senate Minority LeaderMitch McConnell will serve another two years as the top Senate Republican after staving off a challenge from Sen. Rick Scott
McConnell spoke at the AT&T Forum on March 31, 2022. The photo was taken by Chip Somodevilla.
GOP lawmakers told reporters that McConnell beat Scott by a vote of 37-10) with one senator voting present.
The secret balloted election left it unclear how all the senators voted.
Scott was the first Republican to challenge McConnell since he became Republican Senate leader.
McConnell said he had enough votes to be reelected despite Scott's announcement of his leadership bid.
Despite expectations of Republicans cruising on a "red wave" to capture both chambers, Republican leaders are reeling after the party failed to win back control of the Senate. Donald Trump's stature in the party has taken a hit as voters reject candidates who embraced his false allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Kevin McCarthy has faced backlash. McCarthy is short of the 218 votes he needs from the full House to win the speakership despite being nominated by the GOP. The members of the House Freedom Caucus are expected to make demands in exchange for their support of McCarthy.
McConnell thinks that Trump is largely to blame. Josh Hawley told CNN after the vote that Republicans have an image problem due to Trump. I have to tell you that I don't agree with that.
Allies of McConnell blamed Scott's National Republican Senatorial Committee for the poor results of the mid-term elections. Scott's proposal to require low-income Americans to pay income taxes and to reauthorize Social Security every five years was panned by McConnell.
Scott wants to challenge McConnell as Senate Republican leader.
Kevin McCarthy doesn't have the votes to win the speaker's job.
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