{"id":1626431,"date":"2022-08-30T08:02:38","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T12:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1626431"},"modified":"2022-08-30T08:02:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T12:02:59","slug":"yes-mitch-mcconnell-would-rather-lose-the-senate-than-his-leadership-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-mitch-mcconnell-would-rather-lose-the-senate-than-his-leadership-status\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, Mitch McConnell Would Rather Lose The Senate Than His Leadership Status"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fyes-mitch-mcconnell-would-rather-lose-the-senate-than-his-leadership-status%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1626431&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A major Republican political action committee backed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pulling its funding from the crucial battleground state of Arizona, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2022\/08\/26\/shifting-strategy-senate-gop-super-pac-cancels-ad-buys-in-arizona-alaska-00053965\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As revealed by Politico, \u201cThe Senate Leadership Fund [SLF], which is aligned with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is scrapping roughly $8 million in ads \u2014 about half of its initial Arizona reservation \u2014 that were supposed to start in the early fall,\u201d with the super PAC now set to begin airing ads in Arizona in early October.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn November [Republican Senate nominee Blake] Masters will face Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who already enjoys a heavy financial advantage down the stretch,\u201d the report reads. \u201cThe super PAC\u2019s move will exacerbate that Kelly edge as Republicans seek to net the one seat needed to take back Senate control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In defense of the decision, SLF President Steven Law told Politico that while the group is \u201cleaving the door wide open in Arizona,\u201d they also want to \u201cmove additional resources to other offensive opportunities that have become increasingly competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think the fundamentals of this election strongly favor Republicans, we see multiple paths to winning the majority, and we are going to invest heavily and strategically to achieve that goal,\u201d Law said.<\/p>\n<p>A Masters win in Arizona would not only put the GOP one step closer to retaking the Senate, but it would also rid the legislative body of one of its most radical members. Despite the insistence of the legacy media, Mark Kelly is no moderate. According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/biden-congress-votes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FiveThirtyEight tracker<\/a> that monitors the voting records of congressional members, Kelly has voted in line with President Joe Biden\u2019s position an astounding 94.4 percent of the time, with <a href=\"https:\/\/libertyscore.conservativereview.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Conservative Review<\/a> giving the Arizona Democrat an \u201cF\u201d grade for consistently voting for the president\u2019s leftist agenda.<\/p>\n<p>Masters and Senate Republican nominees J.D. Vance (Ohio), Mehmet Oz (Pennsylvania), Adam Laxalt (Nevada), and Herschel Walker (Georgia) were among those endorsed and backed by former President Donald Trump during their states\u2019 respective GOP primaries.<\/p>\n<p>While SLF also announced it would be cutting roughly $1.7 million in ad spending in Alaska for GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Law said the decision was based on the McConnell-backed group\u2019s belief that Murkowski is \u201cin a very strong position\u201d to win reelection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are all-in for Senator Murkowski,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Murkowski, who has sided with Democrats on a host of key issues, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/22\/the-14-republicans-who-voted-to-advance-democrats-gun-control-wish-list-just-betrayed-their-base\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gun control<\/a> and opposing Brett Kavanaugh\u2019s confirmation to the Supreme Court, will be facing off against Trump-backed conservative Kelly Tshibaka in November\u2019s election. While both Republicans will be joined by two other candidates in the general election due to the state\u2019s newly adopted ranked-choice voting system, the lone Democrat only managed to acquire <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/United_States_Senate_election_in_Alaska,_2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">roughly 6.8 percent<\/a> of the vote in the primary, essentially setting up the November contest as a battle between two Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>The new cuts in ad spending for Masters in Arizona come weeks after the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2022\/08\/15\/gop-slashes-ads-in-key-senate-battlegrounds-00051969\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">separately canceled<\/a> an estimated $13.5 million worth of ads across numerous battleground states, including \u201cPennsylvania ($7.5 million), Arizona ($3.5 million), Wisconsin ($2.5 million) and Nevada ($1.5 million).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are asking, \u2018What the hell is going on?\u2019\u201d a GOP strategist working on Senate races told Politico. \u201cWhy are we cutting in August? I\u2019ve never seen it like this before.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Power Over Principle<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to slashing spending in crucial battleground states, McConnell has also gone out of his way to publicly undercut GOP candidates like Masters, who have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/news\/masters-hopeful-for-mcconnell-support-in-arizona-senate-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously<\/a> criticized the Kentucky senator\u2019s leadership style. When recently asked about Republicans\u2019 prospects for the upcoming midterm elections, McConnell threw cold water on the idea that the GOP could take control of the upper chamber, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/19\/come-on-mitch-mcconnell-republicans-need-you-to-step-up-and-lead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">saying<\/a> that \u201ccandidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think there\u2019s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell\u2019s comments run contrary to statements issued by Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who during a Monday interview with Sean Hannity emphasized that the party has \u201cgreat candidates all across the country\u201d and disagreed with McConnell\u2019s assessment of Republicans\u2019 chances of retaking the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve got great candidates. Look at the background of these people. I mean, these are wonderful individuals that believe in this country,\u201d Scott <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediaite.com\/tv\/rick-scott-disavows-mitch-mcconnells-attitude-on-senate-races-no-weve-got-great-candidates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. \u201cAnd they believe in the right things. We are going to win, but we\u2019ve got to raise our money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s one thing for leaders of political parties to espouse caution about future electoral prospects, it\u2019s quite another to ostensibly slander your own party\u2019s candidates to the benefit of your opponents. McConnell\u2019s comments, in conjunction with his super PAC\u2019s cut in crucial ad spending, have some Republican voters scratching their heads, wondering what exactly the minority leader\u2019s end goal is.<\/p>\n<p>Why would McConnell pull funding from a race that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetrafalgargroup.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/AZ-Gen-0829-Poll-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more accurate pollsters<\/a> have shown to be a dead heat? And why isn\u2019t he doing everything in his power to secure a Republican majority, especially given the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2022\/senate\/elections-map.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">number of hotly contested races<\/a> this fall?<\/p>\n<p>The answer? Power.<\/p>\n<p>Having been in Congress since 1985, McConnell has spent decades clawing his way to the top of Senate GOP leadership, while simultaneously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/livecoverage\/primary-election-results-latest-news\/card\/alabama-gop-senate-primary-serves-as-test-of-mcconnell-sway-kETn9tFQ6LPntzacQkgh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spending millions of dollars<\/a> through super PACs in Republican primaries across the country to back candidates who will support such a conquest. For him to full-heartedly back anti-establishment candidates such as Masters in a general election would mean bringing a conservative to Washington who could potentially oust him from such a position and actually return power to conservative Americans. And for the 80-year-old Senate Minority Leader, that is simply unacceptable. <\/p>\n<p>Whether Republican voters like to admit it, McConnell and the GOP establishment have looked down on them \u2014 and continue to do so \u2014 with utter disdain. Such is the reason why any Republican candidate not specifically chosen by party leadership must be both delegitimized and destroyed. No matter the cost, the establishment simply cannot allow the base of the party to disrupt its decades-long hold on power.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, McConnell would rather have another two years of a Democrat-controlled Senate where he remains party leader than a Republican-controlled one where he\u2019s not. This November, voters must wrestle back power not just from Democrats, but from swamp creatures like McConnell as well, lest our country continue to pay the price.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Shawn Fleetwood is a Staff Writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He also serves as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A major Republican political action committee backed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pulling its funding from the crucial battleground state of Arizona, according to a new report. As<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1626431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1626431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1626431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1626431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1626431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1626431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1626431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}