Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and several other Republicans on Wednesday celebrated Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement that he would step down from leadership in November.
“We’re at 86 on this. McCarthy, McDaniel, McConnell,” the Florida Republican said, referring to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. ” he wrote to X.
Mr. McCarthy was stripped of his speakership last October after the success of the effort led by Mr. Gates.
McDaniel announced earlier this week that he would resign next month after former President Donald Trump, a strong supporter of Gaetz, suggested it was time for a change in leadership at the RNC.
“There are going to be better days for the Republican Party,” Gaetz added.
The Sunshine State lawmaker previously mocked the three Republican leaders after the 2022 midterm elections, when a predicted “red wave” of Republican victories failed to materialize.
“McCarthy, McConnell, McDaniel…McPhail.” Gates tweeted at that time.
The House Freedom Caucus was similarly elated by McConnell’s Wednesday announcement.
A group of conservative conservatives in Congress say, “We are thinking together about the retirement of Senate Democratic Co-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (D-Ukraine).” he said in a tweet. “There’s no need to wait until November…Senate Republicans should immediately elect a *Republican* minority leader.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) echoed the Freedom Caucus’ concerns about McConnell’s timeline, arguing, “Why wait so long? We need new leadership now.”
“I asked Mr. McConnell to resign over a year ago,” the Missouri Republican said, calling the announcement “good news.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who challenged McConnell in the 2022 leadership race, said the Kentucky Republican’s resignation would “refocus” the party’s efforts on issues that “actually reflect the desires of voters.” “It’s an opportunity to do that,” he said.
The anti-Trump Lincoln Project said McConnell “will go down in history as a spineless follower of a would-be dictator who shrunk into a clown.”
“He has chosen the power of a tyrant over defending democracy,” the group said. said in a tweet.
McConnell, 82, is the longest-serving Senate majority leader in history. His current term ends in 2027.
