A group of conservative Senate Republicans wants to play a major role in determining who becomes the chamber's next GOP leader, The Hill reported Monday.
Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., are leading an effort in which conservatives have a strong say about who replaces Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who last week announced he will step down as Republican leader in November.
"From the perspective of the conservatives, this is something they've been preparing for since McConnell said I'm going to serve the remainder of my term, and that was it. That's the mindset they're in," a Republican strategist familiar with the deliberations of Senate conservatives told The Hill.
"There's going to have to be conversations between the candidates and the conservatives, and I don't think [Sens.] John Thune or John Cornyn can take their support for granted."
Senate Republican Whip Thune, R-S.D., and former Senate GOP Whip Cornyn, R-Texas, are considered the leading contenders to replace McConnell.
Conservative Senate members — who also include Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Rand Paul, R-Ky. — want political and procedural reforms that give them more say in the leadership of their conference.
The group largely failed to influence McConnell on major political and policymaking decisions.
Both Thune and Cornyn have been critical of former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., who has endorsed Thune to replace McConnell, said Trump will play a role in determining the party's next Senate leader.
"He's the Republican front-runner; he's going to have a voice in it," Rounds said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"The former president will have the opportunity to influence a number of my colleagues, but we also want to be able to have a good working relationship with him if he becomes the next president of the United States."
Scott on Friday said he and fellow conservatives will call a special conference meeting to develop a mission for the process to replace McConnell.
"First thing we're doing is we've called — Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and I and some others have called — for a conference meeting and said, 'Hey, what do we want to be?'" Scott told "The Charlie Kirk Show."
Lee took to X on Friday to say: "The next Senate GOP leader should have the confidence to relinquish discretionary control over committee assignments."
McConnell has appeared to change committee assignments based on whether specific senators supported his leadership.
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