It would be a stretch to say that the Democrats shocked the world by maintaining their majority in the Senate this election cycle, but they were not expected to.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Republicans were slightly favored to take back control of the upper chamber with a 59% chance of doing so on election day.
Democrats around the country such as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) were jubilant upon hearing the news of the left side of the aisle keeping the majority.
Thankful for @theDemocrats’ history-defying defense of the Senate! House & Senate results show voters want Congress to keep bringing down costs, safer communities and a strong defense of women's rights and our democracy. Let's expand that majority with @ReverendWarnock in GA! https://t.co/Er2uRD26SH
— Debbie Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) November 13, 2022
“Thankful for @theDemocrats’ history-defying defense of the Senate! House & Senate results show voters want Congress to keep bringing down costs, safer communities and a strong defense of women's rights and our democracy. Let's expand that majority with @ReverendWarnock in GA!” tweeted Wasserman Schultz.
The celebration is warranted. Republicans missed a golden opportunity. With inflation numbers at historic highs and with the economy widely considered the most important issue this election cycle, the “red wave” seemed evident.
But now the next question is: Who’s to blame? Is it Trump? Or is it Republican Leadership?
Top members of the Republican Party cannot even agree on when to have leadership elections. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) alongside the likes of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), want the upcoming Senate leadership vote pushed back.
It makes no sense for Senate to have leadership elections before GA runoff.
We don’t yet know whether we’ll have a majority & Herschel Walker deserves a say in our leadership.
Critically, we need to hear a specific plan for the next 2 yrs from any candidate for leadership.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 11, 2022
“It makes no sense for Senate to have leadership elections before GA runoff. We don’t yet know whether we’ll have a majority & Herschel Walker deserves a say in our leadership. Critically, we need to hear a specific plan for the next 2 yrs from any candidate for leadership,” tweeted Sen. Cruz.
Although Cruz’s tweet was sent out before the Senate Majority was called for the Democrats, the point remains the same. There is not unilateral confidence in the leadership of the Republican party.
On Friday, Sen. Rubio put out a tweet saying that Republicans need to reassess the whether those who are in leadership positions (McConnell) are “genuinely committed.”
The Senate GOP leadership vote next week should be postponed
First we need to make sure that those who want to lead us are genuinely committed to fighting for the priorities & values of the working Americans (of every background) who gave us big wins in states like #Florida
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 11, 2022
“The Senate GOP leadership vote next week should be postponed First we need to make sure that those who want to lead us are genuinely committed to fighting for the priorities & values of the working Americans (of every background) who gave us big wins in states like Florida,” tweeted Sen. Rubio.
If McConnell was to be replaced, look for other party leaders such as Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who is currently the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman to make a go at it.
