Senate Republican advises Trump to stay out of race to succeed McConnell

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) has advised former President Trump to stay out of the leadership race to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

McConnell announced last week that he would step down from leading Senate Republicans next November, a move that surprised many members of his own party. There are currently three candidates in the Senate for the Senate: Sen. John Thune (R-Texas), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). The government is currently debating who to recommend as the next leader.

Mullin, a member of Thune’s whip team, has already announced his support for the South Dakota Republican Party. Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” if President Trump might try to kill Thune’s candidacy, Marin said he didn’t know, but urged him not to participate in the campaign.

“I don’t know. President Trump and I had a very nice conversation last week. My advice to President Trump is, you know, President Trump is his own man and he’s going to make his own decisions. Yes, we’re doing a good job in that regard, but it’s a lose-or-lose situation, so we’re not in the race,” he said.

“He needs to work with any leader, and let me tell you, he understands that any leader has to work with President Trump as well. “I mean, it’s not in his best interest to lean into racing at this point. But if he chooses to do it, it will make a difference,” he said.

Mr. Thune had previously criticized Mr. Trump, but last week, before Mr. McConnell’s announcement, he endorsed Mr. Trump as a presidential candidate. President Trump said after the report that there are “a lot of good options” to replace McConnell.

Mr Marin continued to express support for Mr Thun in an interview on Sunday.

“And even when Mitch was unable to come to the Capitol due to illness, I’ve seen his leadership skills come into play. I’ve seen him step up in a very effective way. And what I look for in a leadership position is someone who can provide leadership during a very dangerous and critical time, and I think that’s what John Thune did. “I’ve seen it,” he added.