{"id":5047,"date":"2024-03-01T14:07:34","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T06:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047"},"modified":"2024-03-01T14:07:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T06:07:38","slug":"three-men-named-john-senators-begin-jockeying-to-replace-mitch-mcconnell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047","title":{"rendered":"Three men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The jockeying to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as Republican leader has begun after the Kentuckian announced he will step down in January following a record 18 years in the position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The list of prospects begins with \u201cthree Johns\u201d \u2014 as they\u2019ve become known on Capitol Hill \u2014 who are current or former deputies to McConnell and are widely seen as the front-runners for the post. One thing they have in common: All have endorsed Donald Trump for president as the ex-president\u2019s influence with the Senate GOP grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Trump could be a factor if he decides to weigh in on the race, Senate Republicans will vote for their next leader behind closed doors in November. McConnell\u2019s successor will take over in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the names in the mix for top Republican leader, including the three Johns and some non-Johns who may make a long-shot bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Cornyn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, became the first Republican to announce his bid Thursday, doing so in a statement. He said he hopes to fix a \u201cbroken\u201d Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am asking my Republican colleagues to give me the opportunity to succeed Leader McConnell,\u201d Cornyn said. \u201cWe will improve communication, increase transparency, and ensure inclusion of every Member\u2019s expertise and opinion. We will restore the important role of Senate committees and reestablish the regular appropriations process, rather than lurch from one crisis to another. And we will return power back to our members; there will be no more backroom deals or forced votes on bills without adequate time for review, debate, and amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cornyn, 72, was first elected in 2002 and served as McConnell\u2019s whip in the minority and majority from 2013 until 2019, when he was term-limited out of the post. As he said in his statement, he has also spent two terms as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, helping to raise money and elect GOP members to the upper chamber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked how he will navigate the wing of the party that disagrees with his vote for Ukraine and Israel aid, Cornyn said: \u201cThe leader is not a dictator \u2014 the leader should be more of a facilitator. And if you\u2019re going to be in leadership, you\u2019re going to have to do things \u2014 because the membership demands it \u2014 that maybe is not what you would do as an individual senator voting on a piece of legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History with Trump: In February 2021, Cornyn said Trump\u2019s \u201clanguage was reckless\u201d on Jan. 6, adding: \u201cI think he miscalculated, assuming he calculated at all, about what the impact of a mob would be. Mobs don\u2019t act like rational people.\u201d Cornyn has long questioned Trump\u2019s ability to win a general election in 2024, but he endorsed him on Jan. 23, saying that Republican voters have made up their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Thune<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the current minority whip, makes no bones about the fact that he wants the job. He will be term-limited out of the whip job after this year, which means anything other than the No. 1 position would be a step down for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s probably one of the worst kept secrets in Washington,\u201d Thune, 63 and first elected in 2004, told reporters on Thursday. \u201cWe\u2019re having all the conversations with our colleagues and we\u2019ll continue to do that \u2014 and talk about the future of the Senate and what our members want in the next Senate Republican leader.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for Thune added: \u201cHe looks forward to having substantive conversations over the next few days and weeks about the future, but he intends on keeping those conversations private.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line: Thune is running, just not formally yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History with Trump: Thune voted to acquit Trump in the 2021 Senate impeachment trial but said it \u201cshould not be viewed as exoneration for his conduct on January 6 \u2026 or in the days and weeks leading up to it. What former President Trump did to undermine faith in our election system and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power is inexcusable.\u201d Thune initially endorsed Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., in the 2024 race. On Feb. 25, Thune endorsed Trump. Asked about his prior criticism of the ex-president, Thune said \u201cthe voters have spoken\u201d and it\u2019s now a \u201cbinary choice\u201d: Trump or Joe Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Barrasso<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who has held the No. 3 GOP post since 2019, was not in Washington on Thursday, instead making a trip to Arizona to campaign for far-right election denier Kari Lake, the likely Republican nominee for Senate, according to his office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrasso, 71, was first elected in 2007. He could conceivably run for the No. 1 or No. 2 position \u2014 either would be a step up from his current job. \u201cHe\u2019s in a position of strength and will make an announcement on his own timeline \u2014 not somebody else\u2019s,\u201d a source close to Barrasso said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrasso\u2019s home state colleague, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said Thursday he \u201chas not indicated to\u201d her whether he will run for leader but that he can count on her support if he does. \u201cWhatever he decides to do, I will be supporting him,\u201d Lummis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, Barrasso said, \u201cMy number-one focus is the election in November for president and for majority control in the Senate, as well as majority control in the House of Representatives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History with Trump: Barrasso was the first of the three Johns to endorse Trump for president, doing so on Jan. 9. In late 2021, Barrasso had no criticism of Trump when asked on ABC News about the former president defending Jan. 6 rioters\u2019 chants of \u201chang Mike Pence.\u201d Barrasso was also the only member of GOP leadership to vote against the recent aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Daines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., the current chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was coy when asked Thursday whether he\u2019d be interested in running for GOP leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019ll be no majority leader without a majority. I\u2019m focused on getting the majority,\u201d Daines said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When pressed about the fact that he wasn\u2019t ruling out a run for leader, Daines responded, \u201cWe\u2019re focused on getting the majority back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daines, 61, is a newer member of GOP leadership, joining the Senate in 2015, but has quickly ascended the ranks and is navigating the NRSC chairmanship with a favorable map for Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History with Trump: Daines was the first member of GOP leadership to endorse Trump, doing so in April of last year. He also rejected the idea that Pence could have overturned the election on Jan. 6, saying after he voted to acquit Trump, \u201cVice President Pence faithfully upheld his oath of office and certified the election. I voted to acquit President Trump of a second impeachment because I believe the trial was unconstitutional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rick Scott<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who ran against McConnell in the last leadership election, is part of a group of conservatives calling for a special conference meeting to discuss the path forward. He\u2019s a vocal critic of McConnell, and he\u2019s more controversial within the caucus than other prospects. If he runs again, he\u2019d be an underdog at best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I ran before, I thought we needed a change in leadership, so I\u2019m looking forward to a change in how we operate,\u201d Scott said on Thursday. He has called McConnell\u2019s exit \u201can opportunity to refocus our efforts on solving the significant challenges facing our country and actually reflect the aspirations of voters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott, first elected in 2018, failed to unseat McConnell in the leadership elections in November 2022, getting 10 votes compared to 37 for McConnell. Scott was the NRSC chairman during the 2022 cycle, when Republicans had high hopes of winning back the majority but fell short. Some blamed Scott for that failure; he blamed GOP leaders for failing to inspire conservative voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe it\u2019s time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute than we have been in the past,\u201d Scott said in a letter asking for members\u2019 votes during his failed bid. \u201cWe must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History with Trump: Scott endorsed Trump in November 2023. He was one of the first governors to endorse Trump in 2016 as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 The jockeying to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as Republican leader has begun after the Kentuckian announced he will step down in January following a record 18 years in the position. The list of prospects begins with \u201cthree Johns\u201d \u2014 as they\u2019ve become known on Capitol Hill \u2014 who are current or former deputies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[2139,2140,1151],"class_list":["post-5047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","tag-men","tag-named","tag-three"],"yoast_head":"\nThree men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell - LISTEN WORLD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell - LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WASHINGTON \u2014 The jockeying to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as Republican leader has begun after the Kentuckian announced he will step down in January following a record 18 years in the position. The list of prospects begins with \u201cthree Johns\u201d \u2014 as they\u2019ve become known on Capitol Hill \u2014 who are current or former deputies […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-01T06:07:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-01T06:07:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/240229-split-johns-ch-1240-827ab7.webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gina\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/\",\"name\":\"LISTEN WORLD\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/240229-split-johns-ch-1240-827ab7.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/240229-split-johns-ch-1240-827ab7.webp\",\"width\":1240,\"height\":827},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047\",\"name\":\"Three men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell - LISTEN WORLD\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-01T06:07:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-01T06:07:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/3dda624796e926f7ee7a99098759bf4d\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u9996\u9875\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Three men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/3dda624796e926f7ee7a99098759bf4d\",\"name\":\"Gina\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/672126d0325ed2a94002961601231f015f9619a0fff98ea74f3f8869988e885f?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/672126d0325ed2a94002961601231f015f9619a0fff98ea74f3f8869988e885f?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gina\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?author=8\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Three men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell - LISTEN WORLD","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Three men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell - LISTEN WORLD","og_description":"WASHINGTON \u2014 The jockeying to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as Republican leader has begun after the Kentuckian announced he will step down in January following a record 18 years in the position. The list of prospects begins with \u201cthree Johns\u201d \u2014 as they\u2019ve become known on Capitol Hill \u2014 who are current or former deputies […]","og_url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047","og_site_name":"LISTEN WORLD","article_published_time":"2024-03-01T06:07:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-03-01T06:07:38+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/240229-split-johns-ch-1240-827ab7.webp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gina","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/","name":"LISTEN WORLD","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/240229-split-johns-ch-1240-827ab7.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/240229-split-johns-ch-1240-827ab7.webp","width":1240,"height":827},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#webpage","url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047","name":"Three men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell - LISTEN WORLD","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2024-03-01T06:07:34+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-01T06:07:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/3dda624796e926f7ee7a99098759bf4d"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=5047#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u9996\u9875","item":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Three men named John: Senators begin jockeying to replace Mitch McConnell"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/3dda624796e926f7ee7a99098759bf4d","name":"Gina","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/672126d0325ed2a94002961601231f015f9619a0fff98ea74f3f8869988e885f?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/672126d0325ed2a94002961601231f015f9619a0fff98ea74f3f8869988e885f?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g","caption":"Gina"},"url":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?author=8"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5047"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5049,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5047\/revisions\/5049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}