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John:


Good afternoon from Capitol Hill.

With so much else taking up the political oxygen, it’s easy to forget about the other election happening this year: the election for leader of the Senate Republican Conference.

In February, Mitch McConnell announced he would be stepping down as GOP leader at the end of the year (though remaining in the Senate). McConnell has held the position for 18 years – longer than most of the sitting Republican senators have been in the Senate, making him the only Leader they have ever known.

Three senators have announced bids to replace him: John Thune of North Dakota, the current GOP whip, John Cornyn of Texas, the former GOP whip, and Rick Scott of Florida, who challenged McConnell for the top spot in 2022. Thus far, the race to replace him has been fairly low key, not unlike the Senate itself. There seems to be a general expectation that an opportunity for titanic change will be met with simply an extension of the status quo.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, and there are signs that senators are attempting to force a conversation about conference governance – one that moves away from a centralized management model in favor of empowering individual members by opening the Senate floor to debate, deliberation, and actual legislating.

Senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis have even engaged in a public exchange of letters ([link removed]) , with Lee pushing for a more transparent and open vision for the conference and Tillis representing a more establishment viewpoint where power remains centralized in the Leader.

In a recent op-ed ([link removed]) in Fox News, Lee described three proposals he thinks the next GOP Leader should adopt:
1. Allow the Senate to actually vote on amendments to resolve differences and build consensus as an alternative to the massive take-it-or-leave-it legislation.

2. Set a schedule for considering government funding bills so the chamber has time to read and consider the bills before voting on them. If the Senate decides to do an omnibus bill, the chamber should have a minimum of four weeks to consider it on the Senate floor.

3. Ask the Leader to offer clear policy goals at the beginning of the year and a strategy for the conference to achieve them.

In no small part due to the autocratic leadership demonstrated on both sides of the aisle, the Senate can frequently seem like little more than an organization which exists to rubber stamp presidential nominations. Lee’s reforms are simple, but have the power to completely transform the Republican side of the aisle by unleashing the powers and talents of individual senators.

Unlike the House, where the chamber’s size and its rules vest most of the body’s authority in the Speaker, the Senate’s rules are designed to give each senator tremendous power in their own right. The McConnell leadership legacy has largely centralized the conference decision making and floor activity in his office, and among a handful of his allies.

A more democratic governance style could make Senate Republicans more active and effective than they have been in years, simply by giving individual senators a voice into conference strategy. We’ll know soon enough – the election for Republican Leader will take place in a conference meeting, by secret ballot, a few days after the November election.

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One More Thing…

Is it just me, or does it feel like it’s been a long time since someone in America pushed the boundaries of engineering and physics and the result was something truly extraordinary? Watch this clip ([link removed]) of Elon Musk’s SpaceX catching a rocket in midair, an unrivaled scientific feat that takes the company one step closer to interplanetary travel ([link removed]) , and remind yourself that America is not a country of mediocrity. We meet challenges and limitations, self-imposed or otherwise, with the genius, resilience, creativity, and tenacity that has defined our country for centuries prior and will define us for centuries to come. Our best days are still ahead.

Sincerely,
Rachel Bovard
Vice President of Programs

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