Former President Donald Trump is urging the head of the Senate Republicans’ political campaign arm to enter the race to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) when he retires following the 2024 elections.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), according to POLITICO, is Trump’s choice to guide his caucus out of the wilderness and into a majority that will rule next year. What’s even more telling is that, according to a person familiar with a conversation between the two Republicans, McConnell received this encouragement before to announcing his impending retirement on Wednesday.
Daines stated that he “thanked” President Trump for his support, but he is still committed to ensuring that Senate Republicans win in November.
“I told [Trump] the most important thing I can do this moment is to make sure we have a Senate majority in November,” Daines said.
Observers predict the MAGA wing of the Senate will produce a candidate to oppose Sen. John Coryn (R-TX), the third-ranked Republican and a close supporter of McConnell, who launched his candidacy on Thursday, given President Trump’s enormous influence over the party he hopes to lead again. It is unclear who will do so; Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who was defeated by McConnell in a 2022 challenge, has already declared that he will not run for the position of leader.
Sen. Scott told reporters on Thursday, “It’s important that whoever is the Republican leader has a relationship with the Republican president.”
While Cornyn is one of the “three Johns” who back Trump and are McConnell subordinates, supporters of the previous president claim Daines stands out since he declared his support far earlier—in April 2023.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) is another who has influence over some of his colleagues and may still enter the race.
“I simply don’t think it matters what his view is. And that’s not to minimize how strong his opinions are. That’s just to say, ‘Hey, guy, here’s who we think is best reflecting the Senate,'” Barrasso’s supporter, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), explained. “Daines is excellent. But I’m not sure if Daines or anybody else will care about that.
According to the media site, Daines and Trump have collaborated to carefully select candidates this cycle that not only fit the MAGA template but also have the highest chance of winning. Kari Lake, the former candidate for governor of Arizona, is one of them. Should she win her Republican primary later this year, she will now fight Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).
