JUST IN: GOP Senator John Cornyn Announces Bid To Replace Mitch McConnell As Leader

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) announced Thursday morning that he will run to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who shook Capitol Hill with the announcement that he will be stepping down from leadership after the 2024 election.

The campaign by Cornyn ensures that a top deputy to McConnell will seek to keep Senate Republicans in the hands of more establishment conservative leadership, a faction at odds with hardline conservative Senators such as Ted Cruz (R-TX) who are currently mulling their own candidate for chair, according to media reports.

“I am asking my Republican colleagues to give me the opportunity to succeed Leader McConnell,” said Cornyn, 72, in a statement released Thursday to Fox News.

Citing his winning electoral record and advancement of Republican priorities as a top deputy to McConnell, Sen. Cornyn pledged to increase transparency and communication through the caucus in a direct appeal to conservatives upset at seeing their priorities stalled over the years.

“I believe the Senate is broken — that is not news to anyone. The good news is that it can be fixed, and I intend to play a major role in fixing it,” Cornyn said.

“We will restore the important role of Senate committees and reestablish the regular appropriations process, rather than lurch from one crisis to another. And we will return power back to our members; there will be no more backroom deals or forced votes on bills without adequate time for review, debate, and amendment,” Cornyn pledged, adding Republicans will “improve communication, increase transparency, and ensure inclusion of every Member’s expertise and opinion” under his leadership.

The fissure between conservatives and Sen. McConnell has been an open source of consternation on Capitol Hill. The Kentucky Republican’s retirement after a record 17 years as the GOP Senate leader provided an opening for critics like Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to voice their wishes for a changing of the guard.

“Anyone wanting to be the next Senate GOP leader should tell Senate Republicans — as specifically as possible — how he or she would do the job differently than it’s been done since 2007,” Lee told followers on X.

Among the changes conservatives would like to see are “must-pass” spending bills tacked with priorities like slashing spending and regulation or stepping up enforcement along the southern border. Additionally, Senate Republican leaders should refrain from “organiz[ing] ambush sessions in an effort to scold and humiliate conservative senators,” Lee wrote.

Despite their mounting frustrations, Lee, Cruz, and others were repeatedly stymied in efforts to peel members away from McConnell. When Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) challenged McConnell for the top post, he was defeated in a 37-10 vote. Scott will not be in the mix this time around, according to previous reports.