With the expected so-called Red Wave proving more of a disappointing dribble in the 2022 midterm elections and Joe Biden instead enjoying what some are considering a historic vote of confidence for a first-term President, some influential Republican voices have begun to question the party’s direction and leadership.
In a letter expected to reach Republican members of Congress Monday, a coalition of over 50 former elected officials and conservative organizational heads will counsel the GOP to delay the scheduled House and Senate leadership elections set for Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, according to Axios.
The request that the leadership elections take place after the December 6 Georgia Senate runoff between Democrat incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican hopeful Herschel Walker is not simply a formality though to allow all relevant voices to have a vote.
The correspondence also reportedly offered a stiff rebuke of Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, House leader Kevin McCarthy, and former President Donald Trump for how the three have guided the party on a path that led to the woeful midterm showing for the GOP.
“We are all disappointed that a Red Wave failed to materialize, and there are multiple reasons it did not,” the letter reportedly reads. “We need to have serious discussions within our conference as to why and what we can do to improve our chances in 2024.”
With Nevada’s tight race called over the weekend for Democrat incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto, the Democrats have already secured their control over the Senate even without the results of the Georgia runoff, meaning McConnell is once again running for the Minority Leader post. But he still seems to have some support for keeping power.
“No one’s had the nerve to step forward and challenge Senator McConnell,” Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas told CBS’s Face the Nation. “So I support Senator McConnell. Yet many in the Trump orbit, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have at least weighed in to support delaying the vote.
And while the House may indeed flip red, the margin will be much slimmer in the GOP’s favor than originally expected, if it exists at all, leading to a potential Republican uprising in that chamber as well. Former House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona is reportedly considering throwing his hat in the ring to challenge McCarthy for a potential House Speakership role, according to CNN.
No matter the outcome of the outstanding Congressional races, it could prove to be a turbulent holiday season for Republicans in D.C.
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