GOP conservatives want Trump to play role in picking McConnell successor

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GOP conservatives want Trump to play role in picking McConnell successor

by Alexander Bolton - 10/23/24 6:00 AM ET

Some Republican senators want former President Trump to play an influential role in electing the next Senate Republican leader, hoping for a dramatic change in leadership style after Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) record-setting 18-year run.

Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) appears to be the front-runner to succeed McConnell, although Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a former whip and a prodigious fundraiser, might edge him out.

But senators say that if Trump wins the Nov. 5 election, he could dramatically shake up the race by throwing his political weight behind another candidate, such as Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), or perhaps National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (Mont.).

“Anyone who thinks Trump isn’t going to have an outsized influence on the leader race is dumb, willfully naive, or both,” a Republican senator who requested anonymity told The Hill. 

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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4947524-trump-influence-senate-leadership/