by David M. Drucker | Oct 15, 2017
Insurgency against Mitch McConnell could falter for lack of alternativeAn incipient populist insurgency to toss Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from atop the Senate could falter for lack of an alternative.
.. insurgent conservative figures and grassroots organizations also pressuring McConnell to step down,
haven't identified a senator willing to challenge the Kentucky Republican, never mind beat him.
The Democratic and Republican caucuses in the House and Senate hold
elections every two years two choose their leaders. These contests are
held after the national general election and just as the next two-year legislative session is about to begin. But there is nothing preventing a member from challenging for a leadership post before then.
That hasn't happened too often in recent years because
few among the influx of new Republicans who won seats in successive GOP midterm waves
have been interested in running for leadership. Many are principled conservatives;
most aren't comfortable with the philosophical compromises often required to lead a majority coalition in the Congress, nor the wrath they would likely incur from the grassroots and conservative media.
.. insurgents plot against McConnell, they're confronted with the challenge that the senators they would prefer hold sway over the Senate —
populist-oriented Republicans like Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah aren't interested in the top job — or probably any leadership perch. It's unclear they could win a slot if they ran, given
likely resistance from pragmatic and centrist Republicans.
These factors have contributed to McConnell's longevity, as has his adeptness at the inside game. "
None of the young turks want to take McConnell on," a Republican lobbyist with relationships in the Senate said, on condition of anonymity in order to speak candidly.
Some Republican strategists who primarily advise outsider candidates argue that
McConnell's image has become so toxic with the GOP, incumbents with otherwise pristine conservative voting records could lose their primaries — unless they disavow the majority leader.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/insurgency-against-mitch-mcconnell-could-falter-for-lack-of-alternative/article/2637515