Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn has decided to throw his hat in the ring for consideration to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as the leader of the Senate GOP, making him the first to do so in the upper chamber of Congress. The senator made his announcement just one day after McConnell announced that he would be stepping down from the position once his fellow Republicans have selected a new leader in November and that person takes over the role the following January.
Man, talk about not waiting until the body was cold. Obviously, Cornyn has been thinking about this position for quite some time because he seemed prepared to enter the race for the job without much hesitation at all. Makes you wonder how long he’s known about McConnell’s decision, doesn’t it? And if he did know about, it’s probably because McConnell himself told him. Could he in recent months been grooming Cornyn as his replacement?
If that’s the case, it means for sure, without a doubt, Cornyn is part of the establishment and no one wants to see yet another establishment guy in a position of influence and power. Time to install someone who actually has principles and cares about the future of our country. Hopefully, I’m wrong on that. I certainly want to be.
“I am asking my Republican colleagues to give me the opportunity to succeed Leader McConnell,” Cornyn went on to say in a statement. “I have learned a lot during my time both in and out of Senate leadership.”
Here’s more information from The Daily Wire:
First elected to the Senate in 2002, Cornyn is in his fourth term. Over the years, he has served as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and then as Republican whip, the No. 2 ranking position within the Senate GOP.
Cornyn is also a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, voting in line with Trump’s position 92.2% of the time while Trump was in office and has endorsed him again in this year’s election.
“During my two terms as NRSC Chair, we shrunk Democrats’ majority by five seats and laid the foundation to retake the majority in 2014,” Cornyn explained. “Then as the Republican Whip, I helped President Trump advance his agenda through the Senate, including passing historic tax reform and remaking our judiciary – including two Supreme Court Justices.”
Being a super supporter of Trump is definitely a good sign. It means that if Trump beats President Biden later this year, and Cornyn was to be McConnell’s replacement, he would have an ally to help him get things passed in the Senate. Partnerships like that are critical.
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Before joining the Senate, Cornyn served as a justice in the Texas Supreme Court and as Texas attorney general. The senator has been making headlines for his clash with the current Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, over issues such as foreign aid.
Other Republicans who are being talked about as potential candidates for GOP leader include Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), and NRSC Chairman Steve Daines (R-MT).
I think we’ll probably hear from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as well. He was recently in an interview where he stated it was time for McConnell to go. Now that’s happened, it’s probably a likely bet we’ll see him in the running for the position.
“We will restore the important role of Senate committees and reestablish the regular appropriations process, rather than lurch from one crisis to another,” Cornyn said in his pitch. “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.”
Cornyn finished by saying, “I am ready to get to work and look forward to continuing to engage with my colleagues.”