Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.),81, extended absence from the Senate following his accident has led to many Republican Senators wondering about the future of the Senate GOP conference and who could lead it after McConnell is unable to continue.
Currently, there is no announcement about when McConnell is set to return to the senate, however, according to some speculations he is not expected to return until mid-April, after the two-week Easter and Passover recess. One Republican senator said that “half-jokingly” he was wondering if people with aspirations to become the leader of the conference were beginning to count votes. He added that this was a good reminder that McConnell would not be able to continue being the leader for the next decade.
He added that currently, everything is in “a state of limbo” as no one exactly knows what is going on when McConnell is going to be back, and “‘Who’s in charge right now.’”
Another GOP senator also spoke about the concerns being raised in the Capitol over what will happen once McConnell decides to retire. He added that they are wondering about who the next leader of the party could potentially be.
These worries are further intensified by the possibility that former President Donald Trump might win the GOP presidential nomination and general election in 2024.
Prior to his injury, McConnell had been trying to transform the makeup of the Senate GOP conference in order to ensure its future by supporting the Senate primaries and helping those candidates who had the best possible chance of winning during the elections.
