Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was injured while attending the Waldorf Astoria’s Senate Leadership Fund dinner. McConnell has been away from the public ever since and is now planning to retire.
Sources claim that Senate Republicans are planning for a leadership vote. According to the report, this vote would occur upon McConnell’s retirement as leader of the Senate and possibly other events.
One source claims that Cornyn was very active in his preparations. To court senators he took his fellow senators to lunch, even though they had little in common.
A number of conservative senators have been targeted. Rick Scott (a Florida senator and former head NRSC) challenged McConnell and received ten protest votes. Internally there are questions about contest structure and replacement rules.
McConnell was released from the hospital on March 25 He announced today that he would return to the Senate Monday.
McConnell could decide to step down from the Senate, but not only from his leadership role, and it would be up Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, to fill the vacancy. However, Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature recently passed SB 228, which would constrain Beshear’s power by requiring him to choose one of three candidates recommended by leaders of the same political party as the outgoing senator. The bill was originally blocked by Beshear, but the legislature overrode his veto. There is no reason to be concerned about a Democrat replacing Beshear.
McConnell was a Republican leader from 2007 to 2007. McConnell was a Republican leader since 2007. They were able to get Amy Coney Barrett confirmed before the 2020 election.