Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to retain Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as minority leader, turning back a challenge from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) after the party failed to pick up seats in the chamber in the midterm elections. Some senators sought unsuccessfully to delay the vote to give them more time to assess the GOP’s dismal performance. McConnell has led Senate Republicans since 2007. Scott helmed the campaign committee tasked with electing more Republicans.
The machinations come a day after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) survived a GOP leadership challenge in the House. He won reelection as the chamber’s party leader, but remains short of the votes he will need to be speaker, if Republicans control the chamber in January. Republicans need to win just one of the uncalled races to flip the House, but they will have a very slim majority.
(c) 2022, The Washington Post · John Wagner, Mariana Alfaro
