Former President Donald Trump has quietly pushed for National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R-MT) to consider running for GOP Senate leader, multiple outlets report.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) announcement of his resignation from his leadership position in November sparked immediate speculation about his successor. Much of the focus has been centered on the “three Johns,” with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) announcing a run to replace McConnell on Thursday.
But Trump’s influence on the race to succeed the Republican leader is already sinking into the upper chamber.
“I told [Trump] the most important thing I can do this moment is to make sure we have a Senate majority in November,” Daines told Politico. Daines became the first high-profile senator to endorse Trump in April.
Senate Republicans elected Daines to lead GOP efforts to retake the Senate majority in 2022, and he has been producing a number of Trump-backed candidates ahead of November. Democrats entered the election year with a slim majority of 51-49 in the Senate, meaning Republicans need a net gain of just one or two seats to flip the chamber.
Republicans have struggled in the latest election with nominating primary candidates on the hard Right who do not perform as well in the general elections, such as Herschel Walker, the Georgia Senate candidate in 2022, and Doug Mastriano, the Pennsylvania Senate candidate in 2020.
Daines has taken a more proactive approach to recruiting Senate candidates than his predecessor. And he has made an effort to blend the “MAGA” wing of the party with less controversial candidates, depending on the electorate.
For instance, Daines has Kari Lake running in another contest in Arizona after she failed to beat now-Gov. Kate Hobbs (D-AZ) in 2022. Daines has also proven to be a powerful operative in his home state, recruiting Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, to try and unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), thus pushing Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) out of the race.
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When NonStop Local asked Daines if he would be interested in taking on the leadership role, the Montana Republican said he was focused on serving his state and returning power to the GOP but did not give a definitive answer.
“The people who elected me to serve in the United States Senate are Montanans, and I am laser-focused on serving the people of Montana,” Daines said. “I am also focused on winning back the United States Senate in November and getting that gavel out of Chuck Schumer’s hands.”
