U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is continuing his support for U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) as the next Senate majority leader, emphasizing that his vote for Scott was a vote for the state of Alabama.
All eyes are on the U.S. Senate as it prepares to elect a leader for the incoming Republican majority, which will take office in January 2025.
The Republican Party won a major victory in last week's general election, securing the presidency, Senate and a projected House majority.
The Senate is scheduled to hold a secret ballot election on Wednesday to determine the party's majority leader going into the new administration.
Scott and U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) are in the running for the spot. The three-way race has caused a rift between those who see Scott as a Trump loyalist and Thune and Cornyn as a continuation of Minority Leader U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Kent.) agenda.
During an appearance on Fox News Channel's "The Ingraham Angle" on Monday, Tuberville predicted an eventual runoff following Wednesday's initial election. He also emphasized that his vote for Scott was not the result of personal favor. Rather, it came from feedback received from his constituents.
"[T]hey're secret because the leader chooses that," Tuberville explained. "The leader that's in office as we speak and that's Mitch McConnell. I would rather push the vote closer to January 1 anyway, but I'm not the leader. But Laura, we had a mandate last week for a change. Not just as President of the United States, but we have no time, as you just said, we have no time to spare. We have to get somebody that's different than what we've had. You know, we have like a 20% approval rating in the Senate and we're not a rolling ball of butcher knives. And so we got to have somebody with different strategies, different ideas, different communication skills, to give us a chance to do something different like President Trump's gonna do. He needs somebody to work with. Rick Scott knows him. He's a business guy. He's been out there. He's signed checks before. He understands the business world like President Trump. They can communicate. That's the reason I'm voting for Rick Scott."
He continued, "You have three people running. It's got to be, nobody's going to get 27 votes. And so there will be a runoff. So somebody will be eliminated. So Rick and Cornyn probably are number two and number three. And then whoever makes number two against probably Thune, at the end of the day, will have a chance to beat Thune. So I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm not voting for Tommy Tuberville. I'm voting for the state of Alabama. I have got hammered from all over the state. Coach, we voted for change. We do not want the same type of Senate that we've had in the past. Let's do something different. We won't have another chance if we don't do something now. They're exactly right."
Trump surrogates Tucker Carlson, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and Steve Bannon have all thrown their hat in for Scott.
In the Senate, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Tuberville and U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have also sided with Scott.
U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) have formally backed Thune. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is the lone announced backer for Cornyn.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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