Should Majority Leader Mitch McConnell step down from the top position in Congress, Republicans will be looking someone savvy — and trusted by the president.<\/b>
\nShould Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell step down from the top position in Congress, Republicans will be looking for someone savvy enough to accomplish a difficult legislative to-do list and trusted by the president.
President Donald Trump has not held back in his repeated criticisms of McConnell. Trump blames him for failing to repeal Obamacare in the first six months that Republicans controlled both the Congress and the presidency.
A Senate majority leader under Trump has a difficult job of working to pass complex legislation, including Obamacare repeal, immigration reform, tax reform and a massive infrastructure spending bill, in a sharply-divided chamber with a slight majority. All without attracting the ire of the commander-in-chief.
Here are seven senators that could be tapped to lead the caucus in the unlikely event McConnell steps down or retires:
John Cornyn
As the number two in GOP Senate leadership, current Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn would be the obvious replacement for McConnell.
He\u2019s known for taking tough jobs that other senators don\u2019 t want and even told Politico in March that the majority leadership position is \u201csomething I would be interested in doing.\u201d
Republican leadership positions are term-limited, and Cornyn will be ineligible to continue as majority whip after 2018. He may retire, as many whips do when their terms are up, or look for his time as the top dog.
Thad Cochran
As the second most senior Republican in the Senate, Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi holds a commanding position in the body. He chairs the largest Senate committee, the Committee on Appropriations, overseeing 12 subcommittees.
The Senate leadership position isn\u2019 t just about being popular. It\u2019s about wrangling votes, building coalitions, and understanding unique Senate rules to accomplish one\u2019s objectives. A deep understanding of how committees work goes a long way.
Lindsey Graham
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is one of the most outspoken members of the Republican caucus. He\u2019s polished on the Senate floor and knows how to grab headlines.
He\u2019s not a strong supporter of Trump, but he was quick to disagree with McConnell\u2019s statement that Trump had \u201chigh expectations\u201d for passing Obamacare repeal. \u201cI like Mitch, but for eight years, we\u2019 ve been saying we\u2019 re going to repeal and replace Obamacare. It\u2019s not like we made this up overnight. We have been working on repealing Obamacare all year, \u201d Graham said on Fox News Radio\u2019s \u201cThe Brian Kilmeade Show.\u201d
Graham\u2019s short campaign for the presidential nomination in the 2016 cycle indicates that he has ambitions for higher office, but perhaps he would settle for the top job in the Senate.
Orrin Hatch
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch is one of the most senior Republicans, and the second most senior senator in the chamber. While he considered retiring in 2018, he decided to stay to help Trump fight against the ingrained Washington establishment.
Trump was even influential in convincing Hatch to not retire after four decades in the Senate. \u201cHis pitch is he needs me, \u201d Hatch said of Trump in March. \u201cThings are going to be just fine.\u201d
As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Hatch leads an influential group, but it\u2019s unclear whether he\u2019 d consider taking the top leadership position. Hatch expressed complete support of McConnell on Twitter Thursday, calling him the \u201cbest leader we\u2019 ve had in my time in the Senate, through very tough challenges.\u201d
Chuck Grassley
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley has been in the Senate since 1981. He\u2019s proved adept at attracting co-sponsors on his bills and resolutions, ranking third highest for that particular skill in 2015, according to GovTrack.
The Senate leadership position isn\u2019 t about being popular. It\u2019s about wrangling votes, building coalitions, and understanding unique Senate rules to accomplish one\u2019s objectives. A deep understanding of how committees\u2019 work goes a long way.
Grassley chairs both the Committee on the Judiciary and the International Narcotics Control Caucus. He hasn\u2019 t been afraid to call out Trump administration policies \u2014 like ignoring oversight requests from Democratic senators \u2014 which is a key skill in a caucus that wishes to preserve some independence from the president.
Shelley Capito
Having the support of Trump may not be as important as having the respect senators representing Trump supporters, but West Virginia Sen. Shelley Capito has both.
Trump endorsed Capito\u2019s Senate campaign in 2014, and though she\u2019s a junior Senator to Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, she would be a key ally to the Trump administration.
John Barrasso
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso is a relatively new senator (he was elected in 2006) , but in his tenure, he\u2019s served on an impressive number of committees. He now chairs the Committee on the Environment and Public Works and leads the Senate Republican Policy Committee.
Trump praised Barrasso\u2019s performance on Fox News during the campaign as Trump was working to rally Republicans behind his nomination.
Barrasso has \u201cevery confidence in Leader McConnell, as does the rest of the conference. His leadership remains indispensable for unity and legislative success this fall, \u201d he said in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
McConnell has led Republicans in the Senate for more than a decade, most of that time as minority leader. His Republican colleagues unanimously elected him majority leader in 2014. He enjoys strong, almost universal, support from his fellow senators, even though he has the highest dispproval rating among the upper chamber.
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