Tea Partier Mike Lee joins McConnell team

The Utah Republican is steering committee chairman, a post that often comes with a seat in leadership. But McConnell wasn’t obligated to bring Lee into the fold last week, when he appointed him as one of four counsellors to the Republican leadership. The Kentuckian never extended a similar offer to Jim DeMint when he led steering. Lee and McConnell hardly have a chummy history, although the majority leader shrewdly keeps potential enemies close.

Lee advanced to the Senate in 2010 by ousting then-Sen. Bob Bennett in Utah’s GOP primary. Bennett was a McConnell confidant who at the time was serving in leadership as an appointed advisor to the leader — the same advisory post that Lee now holds. The Tea Party favorite later defied McConnell when he joined forces with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and conservative groups in a bid to leverage a partial government shutdown to derail Obamacare.

It’s not unusual for McConnell to work with former foes. He forged a relationship with Sen. Rand Paul immediately after the libertarian-leaning Republican beat his handpicked choice to succeed Sen. Jim Bunning in Kentucky’s 2010 GOP primary. But Lee’s decision to join McConnell’s cabinet marks a departure from his carefully constructed outsider image. Lee’s supporters downplay the move, saying it puts the senator in a position to accomplish his primary goal of advancing conservative reforms.

“Republicans have bold ideas and effective solutions to handle some of the country’s most challenging and persistent problems. I am excited to have the opportunity to put these conservative policy reforms into action, move forward on a positive agenda, and begin restoring trust and transparency in government,” Lee said in a statement.

Republican Senate control could no doubt be motivating Lee to play nice with leadership. The Utahan has spent much of the past three years developing legislation on a range of issues. For the first time since he came to the Senate, his proposals have a real opportunity to receive floor consideration. Joining the near-daily senior leadership meetings puts Lee in a better position to advance his ideas or work them into other Senators’ bills.

There’s also a political component to Lee’s move — at least that’s what many Republican insiders suspect.

Backed by groups like Heritage Action for America, Cruz and Lee pushed in the summer of 2013 and launched an ultimately-failed plan to defund the Affordable Care Act by pressuring Senate Democrats and President Obama to support a must-pass government-funding bill that blocked implementation of the law. Lee’s participation in the 16-day partial government shutdown that resulted that October made him a hero in Tea Party circles but cost him support among mainstream and business-minded Republicans.

After the shutdown ended, Lee shifted quickly to a more pragmatic focus on issues. But the impact of the shutdown on Lee’s standing in Utah lingered, with some Republicans at home signaling they might try to change state law governing primaries to make it easier to block Lee’s 2016 re-nomination. In Utah, GOP nominees are generally chosen by a convention of state party activists, rather than a statewide primary vote of registered Republicans.

Lee supporters dismiss threats to the senator from inside the party.

But some Utah Republicans argue that Lee should be concerned. Working so publicly with McConnell as a part of leadership, they say, could go a long way toward defusing opposition to his primary campaign, which will be in full swing just one year from now. Lee’s problem hasn’t been his conservatism, but his tactical approach. This is a state that has repeatedly elected GOP pragmatists like Sen. Orrin Hatch and former Gov. Jon Huntsman.

“Lee is making some headway with the Utah business establishment and they are watching to see if he becomes more of a team player. I think he could ensure his re-election without a tough primary fight if he avoids Cruz-like insurrections,” said GOP consultant LaVarr Webb, who is based in Salt Lake City. “Most Utahans like his conservative problem-solving agenda, but the welfare state can’t be turned around quickly, so change has to be incremental and practical.”

Each Congress, McConnell appoints a small coterie of kitchen cabinet advisors. They are invited to join senior leadership meetings, along with the six Republicans elected by their peers to lead the conference. This cycle, he selected Lee along with freshman Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia; Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, who was elected in 2012; and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who like Lee is up for re-election in 2016.

In a statement, McConnell praised Lee and said he would make an “invaluable” addition to leadership.

“As a member of the Senate Republican leadership team, Sen. Lee will bring invaluable insight to our conference on issues that affect American families. He is firmly committed to working on increasing jobs and improving the economy for America’s middle class, and getting the Senate back to work.”