How gun talks are weighing on Cornyn’s candidacy for Senate GOP leader
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 06/12/22 6:00 AM ETNegotiations on a gun violence package are boosting the national profile of Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of the leading candidates to someday replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) as Senate Republican leader.
Senate Republican aides and strategists say the high-stakes negotiations give Cornyn an opportunity to score a major accomplishment, which could bolster his chances in a future leadership election.
Helping to pass a gun violence bill that takes the issue off the table ahead of the midterm election will likely burnish his reputation as someone who’s able to do a tough job for the good of fellow Senate Republicans.
Senate Republicans worry that if they don’t pass gun violence legislation, Democrats will denounce them as obstructionist and try to use the issue to move suburban women and other swing voters in the November election.
One senator familiar with McConnell’s thinking said the Republican leader believes it’s important to show voters that Republicans can govern by negotiating a gun violence package with Democrats that responds to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. But McConnell doesn’t want to go so far as to anger Second Amendment voters.
“It’s a sign that McConnell actually wants something we can vote on and pass,” the senator said of McConnell’s decision to appoint Cornyn as the lead GOP negotiator.
McConnell says he wants a bill to pass.
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https://thehill.com/news/senate/3519619-how-gun-talks-are-weighing-on-cornyns-candidacy-for-senate-gop-leader/
