McConnell ally claps back over leadership demands
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Sen. Thom TIllis (R-NC) speaks with reporters as he arrives for a vote at the U.S. Capitol. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) — an ally of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — hit back at conservatives' demands for a new brand of leadership once McConnell steps down in a letter to colleagues Tuesday morning.
Why it matters: The leader race between Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is heating up, with the general election three weeks away.
- Some conservative senators are hoping to leverage a tight race for big changes in how the chamber operates.
- Sen. Mike Lee's (R-Utah) proposals, which he outlined in a letter to colleagues last week, include assurances of more amendment votes and delaying the timeline for picking McConnell's replacement.
- And Lee has taken new public shots at McConnell's leadership approach.
- Tills responded Tuesday, saying he believes Lee's concerns are "sincere," but that delaying the leadership election is a bad idea. He said Lee's proposals would "substantially weaken the republican leader."
Between the lines: The only leadership candidate to clearly embrace the changes conservatives are pushing is Scott — who Senators and Hill sources have said doesn't have much of a shot.
What they're saying: Tillis then made a dig at Republican House chaos. "We are witnessing the downside of a weak-leader model in the House today," he wrote.
- "Two Speakers during a single congress and self-imposed gridlock on legislation hardly seems like a model we want to adopt in the Senate."
- "I believe delaying the election and creating more hurdles for the republican leader to navigate are unwise, and they will impede our work on behalf of the American people," Tillis said.
The other side: "Why would a Republican senator continue to support a system where legislation can be presented for passage without the approval of the majority of the conference? Or one that denies our ability to do our jobs as representatives of our states," Lee responded in a statement to Axios.
Catch up quick: This isn't the first back-and-forth between Tillis and Lee over the leadership race.
- Back in June, Lee and other conservatives were pushing for a new leadership structure — including imposing term limits.
- Tillis blasted those ideas in a letter, which then prompted a response from Lee.
- McConnell has also been adamantly against term limits.
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