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On Sunday night, the political world finally got to see the details of a bipartisan compromise, four months in the making. The carefully negotiated package included security aid for U.S. allies abroad, as well as dramatic changes to the nation’s immigration and border policies.
Also on Sunday night, Sen. Mike Lee denounced the bipartisan legislation in no uncertain terms. In fact, the Utah Republican didn’t just condemn the bill, the senator also turned to social media to lambaste his own party’s leadership team.
“Senate GOP leadership screwed this up — and screwed us,” Lee wrote, adding, “This is a disqualifying betrayal.” In an apparent reference to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s support for the package, the Utahan wrote in a follow-up missive, “I cannot understand how any Republican would think this was a good idea — or anything other than an unmitigated disaster. WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP — NOW.”
Lee didn’t mention McConnell by name, though he appeared to be the senator’s intended rhetorical target.
Two days later, however, one of Lee’s Senate allies went even further. The New Republic noted:
Senator Ted Cruz pointed to McConnell’s stance on the bill Tuesday when he called for the minority leader to step down. When asked at a press conference whether it was time for McConnell “to go,” Cruz replied, “I think it is.”
The Texas Republican went on to tell reporters, “I think a Republican leader should actually lead this conference and should advance the priorities of Republicans.”
Soon after, McConnell was asked for his reaction to the comments. The Senate GOP leader tried to shrug it off with a joke, conceding that Cruz is “not a fan” of his.
That wasn’t an awful response, and it generated some chuckles, but as a rule, it’s not a great sign for a longtime Senate leader when some of his members start publicly talking about replacing him.
By any fair measure, McConnell is simply not in a position of strength, at least not anymore. After the 2022 midterm elections, the Kentucky Republican faced the most serious intraparty challenge of his career, leaving little doubt that a significant chunk of his GOP colleagues were eager to oust him.
When McConnell had some health difficulties last summer, talk of replacing him grew considerably louder.
In the months that followed, the Senate minority leader found his members routinely ignoring his directives, all while Donald Trump went after McConnell with contempt and vitriol the former president usually reserves for Democrats.
My point is not that members like Cruz and Lee will successfully soon replace their party’s Senate leader. That’s unlikely. But the fact that this far-right duo is going after McConnell, against a backdrop of setbacks, challenges, partisan infighting, and congressional dysfunction, leave little doubt that the minority leader’s power has diminished, and McConnell’s influence appears to be ebbing away.