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It took four years and an electoral defeat. But someone with real power in the Republican Party is standing up against – and defeating – President Trump: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Why is this important: It’s a glimpse into the power struggle that will define the Republican Party in 2021.
Did you see that with McConnell recognizing Joe Biden as president-elect.
- You saw it with McConnell blocking Trump’s push to increase stimulus checks to $ 2,000, which would have divided Republicans in the Senate.
- And you see it now with its efforts to reduce the GOP’s futile resistance to Congressional certification of Biden’s victory.
Yes, but: Until now, McConnell’s strategy has been rocked by the chaos created by Trump. Now, the leader of the Senate – whose autobiography is called “The Long Game” – is finally able to define the course of the party.
- “McConnell is trying to reclaim the role he played in 2009 – leader of the opposition to a new Democratic president,” said a Republican agent familiar with the leader’s thinking.
What he thinks: Depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s second round in Georgia, McConnell will need to find a way to protect – or regain – a majority in the Senate, against Trump and his agents promoting candidates who could win primaries but could well lose.
- During Trump’s presidency, Axios’s Margaret Talev points out, McConnell leveraged an alliance that resulted in more than 200 life-time judgeships – including three Supreme Court justices. As the former president, Trump carries more responsibility.
The bottom line: As of 19 days old, McConnell is the most powerful Republican in the country.
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