Senate Republicans feel the battle to replace Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is just beginning, with more candidates likely to run at the last minute after the November general election.
One name that continues to be mentioned is National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R-Montana), who has not been known to rule out running for the top Republican Senate post.
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that after McConnell made the surprise announcement in February that he would not seek re-election as party leader, former President Trump told allies he wanted Daines to run for party leader.
The two are good friends, which is why Trump wanted the Montana Republican to join the race, the sources said.
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Trump has told allies that he wants Daines to run for Senate Republican leader. (Reuters/AP)
There are already three senators vying for the position of next party leader: Sen. John Thune (R-La.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). Sen. Scott is known for launching a last-minute challenge to Sen. McConnell (R-Ky.) in the 2022 leadership race, citing issues with the way the convention is run.
Senator Daines has been asked by Fox News Digital several times in 2024 whether he would run for leadership. The senator has repeatedly said he is focused on driving Republican victory in the Senate in the next election, saying in July, “That's my focus.”
After Fox News Digital pointed out at the time that Daines' response did not rule out a run, Daines said, “I think we have good candidates to lead the Republican Party. All three are good friends of mine and all three will do a good job.”
“Chairman Daines is focused on reclaiming the Senate majority,” NRSC spokesman Mike Berg said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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Daines is the chair of the NRSC. (Drew Ungerer/Getty Images)
Trump's praise could be a big advantage for Daines if he chooses to run, but his role as NRSC chair means his chances of winning may depend on the outcome of the November election.
“For Trump to win, Senate Republicans need to win a huge number of votes on election night,” one Senate Republican aide said.
Daines is currently overseeing several key Senate races, including in Montana, Ohio, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona, some of which are where Republicans are hoping to topple weak Democratic incumbents.
But the aide expressed confidence that Daines would join the fight after the election as long as Republicans perform well.
The source with knowledge of Trump's feelings toward the Montana Republican also noted that Thune and Trump have fostered a strong relationship over the past year, despite Trump's interest in Daines running.
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Trump's support could be a crucial force in the Senate leadership race. (Peter Zai/AFP via Getty Images)
Another source said communication between Mr. Thune and Mr. Trump was open, and that Mr. Thune, the current Senate Minority Whip, headlined a fundraiser in Nebraska just a few weeks ago with Mr. Trump's running mate, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
All of the current leadership candidates have supported Trump since the Republican primaries.
Thune and Cornyn have both been active in fundraising over the past few months, each raising large sums for Republican candidates, committees and conservative groups across the country. Both are known as effective fundraisers, which is a notable aspect of the leadership race given that McConnell is known as the Republican fundraising machine.
Scott has also taken steps to maintain a strong relationship with Trump, flying to Chicago in July to launch a counter-show for the Trump campaign to the Democratic National Convention.
Of the three nominees announced, Scott has been the most vocal about the policy and style changes he wants to see in the conference, which was also his driving force in challenging McConnell in 2022. His candidacy may be especially appealing to Republican senators who are similarly unhappy with the way the conference functions under McConnell and have been vocal about their dissatisfaction.
Scott is currently campaigning for reelection in Florida, a state that has been a heavy target of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), creating potential difficulties in lobbying for the leadership position. Despite the DSCC's efforts, Republicans are still expected to retain Scott's Florida Senate seat.
Daines isn't the only senator whose conference members and staff believe he may still enter the race.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) has been predicting new candidates in the party leadership race since the spring.
“Someone is going to jump in,” he told reporters in July. “I think that could happen very soon.”
“I mean, that's what happened last time,” he said, noting that Scott launched his 2022 campaign against McConnell just before the GOP leadership election.
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Thune, Scott and Cornyn have announced their candidacy for leadership. (Reuters)
“I know we're all pretty competitive people, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone else gets involved,” Rep. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, said in July.
As for who else could run, Hawley previously expressed hope that Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) might consider running for party leader. In March, he said he would support Cotton for the Republican conference chair position, a position he is currently running for as he sponsors Missouri's radiation relief bill. Hawley praised Cotton at the time and said, “Maybe Tom should run for leader.”
A spokesman for Cotton declined to comment to Fox News Digital.
One Republican to watch is Rep. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who has made strong statements to Republicans in private meetings about the future of the conference and its leadership, according to Senate Republican aides.
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But Tillis's office rejected the idea. “Senator Tillis believes there are several highly qualified candidates running for the next leadership position and that the Senate would be in a better place if one of them becomes the next Senate Majority Leader in January,” spokesman Adam Webb said.
With the field of candidates expected to continue to grow, senators have largely avoided endorsing current candidates, with the exception of Sens. Mike Rounds (R-La.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who initially backed Thune.
