Republicans jockeying for primary position answer Trump's call to oppose McConnell
by David M. Drucker, Senior Political Correspondent
December 15, 2021 07:00 AMOpposition to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is quickly becoming an issue in Republican primaries as insurgent conservatives jockey for advantage.
This week, Alaska’s Kelly Tshibaka became at least the fourth Republican Senate contender to announce she would not support McConnell for leader if she defeats incumbent GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski and wins a Senate seat in 2022. Kelly has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who has been imploring Senate Republicans to oust McConnell. Her opposition to the minority leader follows the well-worn path of other Republicans backed by Trump or hoping to win his endorsement.
“It’s time for new, America First leadership in the Senate,” Tshibaka said in a statement. In a subsequent interview with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon on his War Room podcast, Tshibaka blamed McConnell for enabling President Joe Biden and policies she characterized as anti-American.
“Mitch McConnell thinks we’re stupid,” she said. “He’s anything but a leader.”
With that announcement, Kelly joined three other Republican contenders who have declared they will oppose McConnell, 79, for leader of the GOP conference if they are elected to the Senate in the midterm elections: in Alabama, Rep. Mo Brooks, who has been endorsed by Trump, and in Missouri and Oklahoma, respectively, former Gov. Eric Greitens and businessman Jackson Lahmeyer, both of whom hope to score an endorsement from the former president.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/republicans-jockeying-for-primary-position-answer-trumps-call-to-oppose-mcconnell