Senate Republican candidates are still reluctant to show support for Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader. The Hill asked several candidates whether they would support McConnell, but none of them openly expressed willingness to do so.
Some of them demonstrated their opposition and criticized other GOP candidates for not doing the same, while others said they were in a serious bind regarding the issue of supporting McConnell or ignored the question altogether.
The 2018 Republican Senate election is expected to turn into a proxy war between current Senate Majority Leader, McConnell and former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon. Bannon, who is the chairman of Breitbart, is asking candidates to vote against McConnell.
A top aide to GOP Senate campaign told the Hill that “Ten years ago when you ran campaigns, especially after 9/11, it was all about leadership. You could talk about your role in Congress in making things better. Now Republican voters want to burn the place down, so you have more of a tightrope.”
Some candidates from Ohio and Missouri have refused to support McConnell, while GOP Senate candidate Mike Gibbons is requesting that a petition is signed by Josh Mandel to demand McConnell’s retirement. Mandel, avoided the question and said he would address it when elected.
“Just like we would expect from the career politician that he is, Josh is refusing to take a position,” Gibbons said.
Attorney General Josh Hawley has similarly refused to comment on whether he would endorse McConnell. Candidates in Arizona, Alabama and Nevada have also demonstrated refusal to give their support. Other candidates have claimed it is time for new leadership in the Senate.
However, there are those who support McConnell and believe his leadership is not in question, The Hill reports.
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