Free Republic

As chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) had one job: win the Senate majority. Not only did he fail, but he did so in spectacular fashion — through calamitous mismanagement of the NRSC that left Republican candidates under fire without air cover in the final critical months of the midterm elections. Now Scott is trying to deflect blame for the GOP’s disastrous showing. So, it’s worth reviewing the record of his catastrophic tenure at the helm of the GOP’s Senate campaign arm. According to the New York Times, by July of this year, Scott’s NRSC...

I’m having some serious flashbacks this week as I read about the renewed debate over the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill would, among other things, repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and do other things to essentially codify and enforce the legality of gay marriage at the federal level. The “among other things” aspect of that description is where the real problems are found and there are poison pills tucked away in the legislation that should definitely give some conservatives pause. But the way it’s being sold in the media leaves the public with the impression that the...

Following seven months of research and data collection on the feasibility of legalizing medical cannabis by executive action, Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order allowing qualified individuals to bring marijuana that was legally-purchased in another state into Kentucky without being penalized, effective Jan. 1, 2023. “January was the date we chose because we’re gonna have to work through some things,” Beshear said during his Team Kentucky Update last Thursday. “The fact that the legislature hasn’t passed a full-blown system for medical marijuana requires not only that I do, this but also makes it challenging in how we implement it....

Kelvin Blowe was shot and killed in Washington, D.C., on the same day the city council voted unanimously to pass a bill he advocated for that reduces penalties for serious offenses such as robbery, burglary, carjackings, and carrying a firearm without a license. The Washington Post reports Blowe had spent over five years in prison for robbery, and the experience "instilled in him a passion to right inequities he believed he encountered." After getting out, he joined DC Justice Lab, one of the groups that pushed to overhaul the city's criminal code. He testified in support of the proposed bill...

Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) announced Thursday that he will take over as the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee next year, opting not to become the ranking member on the Senate Health Committee, where he also serves as a senior member. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is the Senate’s chief oversight committee, which will give Paul broad jurisdiction over federal departments and agencies. Had Republicans won the Senate majority in last week’s elections, Paul could have spearheaded Senate investigations of the Biden administration. The committee has authority to receive referrals on all legislation...

Representatives James Comer (R-KY), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and others hold a news conference on the investigation into the business dealings of the Biden family.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reportedly said Wednesday that what he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have said about the future of the Republican Party is “remarkably similar.” The comment comes after Schumer said in an interview with the New York Times he would like Republicans to work with Democrats in the aftermath of the midterm elections. Schumer’s remarks precede a Senate Republican Conference meeting in which Republicans will have to choose between McConnell and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), the outgoing National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, as the new Senate minority leader.

Senator Mitch McConnell fended off a challenge from Florida Sen. Rick Scott to hold on to his position as GOP leader on Wednesday. In a secret ballot election, McConnell, R-Ky., garnered 37 votes to Scott's 10, with one senator abstaining, according to Sen. Ted Cruz. McConnell gave a thumbs up as he walked through the Capitol after securing his victory. A separate vote on a motion to delay the leadership vote until after the Georgia Senate run-off election on December 6 also failed 16-32.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday vowed to “stay out” of the potentially “highly contested” 2024 Republican presidential primary. “The way I’m going into this presidential primary season is to stay out of it,” McConnell told reporters. “I don’t have a dog in that fight. I think it’s going to be a highly contested nomination fight with other candidates entering.” It is well known McConnell was not the biggest supporter of former President Donald Trump, who announced he was running for president Tuesday night. No other GOP primary contender has entered the race.

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was re-elected as Republican leader on Wednesday, defeating a challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida that reflects growing angst within the party after it underperformed in the midterm elections.

The status quo is broken and big change is needed. It's time for new leadership in the Senate that unites Republicans to advance a bold conservative agenda. That's why I'm running to be the Senate Republican Leader.

Sen. Rick Scott is running to unseat Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as the top Republican in the Senate, he announced in a note to GOP colleagues Tuesday first obtained by Fox News Digital. Scott, R-Fla., the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), has been at odds with McConnell. R-Ky., for most of this year over political strategy. Scott is also more closely aligned with former President Donald Trump, who has called for McConnell to be removed as Senate Republican leader. "I’m writing to you today because I believe it’s time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far...

Mitch McConnell's behavior has been reprehensible. He refused to support GOP candidates who could have helped Republicans win control of the Senate. He is funding an internecine battle between GOP candidates in Alaska, favoring RINO Lisa Murkowski over conservative Kelly Tshibaka. The Turtle is the swampiest of the swamp creatures. He even has shadowy ties to Communist China. But sometimes politics requires making deals with bad people. Sometimes politics, for all its sordid nature, can offer a path to redemption. McConnell has a narrow pathway to go from zero to hero. He can once again thrust himself into position as...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) will challenge Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for the post of minority leader when the conference holds leadership elections. Scott, 69, announced he would stand against McConnell, 80, during a closed-door lunch for Senate Republicans on Tuesday and formally announced his intention on social media hours later... The status quo is broken and big change is needed,” tweeted Scott, a former Florida governor. “It’s time for new leadership in the Senate that unites Republicans to advance a bold conservative agenda. “That’s why I’m running to be the Senate Republican Leader.” McConnell did not seem unduly...

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) dismissed Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) Tuesday announcement that he would challenge McConnell for GOP Senate leader. “I have the votes. I will be elected,” McConnell told reporters during a Tuesday press conference. “The only issue is whether we do it sooner or later.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday slammed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for “abandoning” GOP nominee Blake Masters in the Arizona Senate race, accusing him of putting personal politics over the needs of the party. Cruz is among a handful of GOP senators who have called to postpone the Senate Republican leadership elections scheduled for Wednesday. “Abandoning Blake Masters was indefensible,” Cruz said on his podcast, “Verdict,” referring to a decision by the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with McConnell, to pull out of the Arizona Senate race. Asked why the McConnell-allied group pulled out of the...

Earlier this month, former President Trump said that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) should be impeached if he backs a plan for the debt ceiling to be eliminated over fears that House Republicans could cause the U.S. to default on the nation’s credit. When asked by conservative radio host John Fredericks about chatter surrounding the possibility of Congress effectively eliminating the debt limit, the former president lambasted the idea. On Sunday, following the Democrat’s win and maintaining Senate control, Trump went on the attack. “It’s Mitch McConnell’s fault. Spending money to defeat great Republican candidates instead of backing Blake...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Monday on CNN’s “This Morning” that he was meeting with Senat Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in the wake of midterm election results to convince Republican senators to ditch so-called “MAGA Republicans.” Co-host Kaitlan Collins said, “Are you going to talk to Mitch McConnell? What does that look like?” Schumer said, “I’m going to say to the Republicans in the Senate who are not the MAGA Republicans, stop letting them lead your party. Work with us to get things done. I intend to sit down with Mitch McConnell and express that.”

The wringing of the hands is furious. With another election less than a month away the anxiety is fierce. And the barbs are already flying. I’m not talking about the distraction of Trump vs. DeSantis [cut] I’m referring to the election of the next Senate leader for the GOP now that “Cocaine” Mitch McConnell has lost the Senate for the second cycle in a row. Elections bring about accountability. It’s time to make a change and that change should be an advocate for America First. With the media peddling the idea of the red “trickle” most haven’t looked at the...

Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) favorability has hit a record low, according to Civiqs polling released Monday. Just 7 percent of voters view McConnell favorably, while 81 percent view him unfavorably. Among the Republican party, only 18 percent of Republicans approve of McConnell. Sixty-one percent disapprove. Civiqs polling, which dates back to 2018, indicated McConnell has never sunk to a low favorability rating of 7 percent. In February 2021, McConnell’s approval rating was 8 percent, reaching 12 percent in June 2021. Since then, it has gravitated between 8 and 11 percent. During the last two years of the Trump administration, McConnell...