Republicans on Capitol Hill agree that voter anger and frustration with Washington, D.C. led to Judge Roy Moore’s defeat of Sen. Luther Strange Tuesday night, but still refused to blame Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Moore won by nine points, even though McConnell and President Trump backed him, and their allies spent $9 million to help Strange. Still, Republican senators said it was not a referendum on McConnell’s leadership.
“No, I really don’t,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said Wednesday when asked if the vote was a sign of frustration with McConnell. “I know people are trying to make it that, but I just don’t see that.”
“People out there, especially primary voters out there, are not happy,” said Thune, the Senate Republican Conference Chairman. “I think it’s frustration with the lack of progress on big-ticket items.”
McConnell has failed all year to deliver a vote to repeal or overhaul Obamacare, something that has frustrated many House conservatives. But another key Republican, Assistant Senate Leader John Cornyn of Texas, said it’s been a trying time for the GOP, but said McConnell has helped fight for healthcare reform and other issues this year.
“We need to learn from this experience and be prepared,” Cornyn said. “It’s not news that we have sort of an insider vs. outsider challenge … But I think other senators will be prepared, No. 1, from having served for a longer period of time [than Sen. Strange] and be better known to their voters, and hopefully learn from this experience so they can be prepared to deal with it.”
“I hate to think about where we would be without Sen. McConnell’s efforts,” Cornyn added when asked about McConnell’s become a negative in these races. “But we’ll learn from it and adjust.”
Moore’s victory capped off a rough day for McConnell and Republican leadership, who announced hours earlier that there would not be a vote on the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill, the third time a healthcare reform bill has died in the Senate. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also announced that he will not seek re-election in 2018, throwing more uncertainty into whether the GOP can hang onto the Senate in 2018.
Corker’s move will also highlight the growing split between insurgent forces and the Washington establishment. Aside from Corker’s open seat, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., expected to be challenged by State Sen. Chris McDaniel, who lost a close battle against Sen. Thad Cochran in 2014.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said senators need to be careful in the wake of the Senate’s unproductive year.
“Every incumbent senator should not take their seat and the ability to keep that seat for granted,” Meadows said. “Constituent services won’t get people re-elected anymore. They’re ready for us to deliver on our campaign promises.”
“All eyes start to focus on Roger Wicker and Jeff Flake and Tennessee,” Meadows said. “But you can’t just stop with those [three] states. You need to fundamentally look at every place and understand that now is a time for us to get serious about delivering real results.”
Meadows declined to say whether the Freedom Caucus will become involved in any further races after multiple members, including Meadows, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., backed Moore.
Some Republicans argued in their Monday morning quarterback assessment that the Alabama race was more about local issues, including the standing of former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, than any national issues. However, there were just as many who didn’t see the need to delve into the race or discuss its potential impact on 2018.
“I don’t know,” Flake said. “We’re talking about tax reform.”
