Republicans nod to Trump’s influence in the race to succeed McConnell

With nine months left before Senate Republicans choose their next leader to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell, some are recognizing the shadow of one figure outside Congress looming over the race: former President Donald J. Trump.

“He is the Republican frontrunner; he will have a say in it,” Sen. Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “The former president will have an opportunity to influence some of my colleagues, but we also want to be able to have a good working relationship with him if he becomes the next president of the United States.”

It was a reminder of Trump’s potential ability to make or break a senator’s bid for the post atop the Senate Republican Conference. And it underscored a political reality that Mr. McConnell recognized when he announced his decision last week to relinquish leadership — that the party’s base, deeply committed to Mr. Trump, had so decisively adopted Mr. McConnell, who does not speak to the former president, could not sustainably remain the leader.

Senators John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota, two contenders in the race, have criticized Mr. Trump, though they have both endorsed him in his 2024 campaign in recent weeks. A third John, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming , the Senate’s third-ranking Republican, could also enter the race. He has maintained close ties to Mr. Trump and positioned himself to the right of Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Thune.

Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, suggested on Sunday that Trump should stay out of the race.

“It’s a lose-lose situation,” Mr. Mullin, who is supporting Mr. Thune, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “He has to work with whatever leader is there, and I can tell you that whatever leader is there, he understands that he is going to have to work with President Trump as well. So it’s not really in his interest to lean into the race at this point.”

But he acknowledged Trump’s potential influence, adding: “However, if he chooses to do it, it will make a difference.”

Mr. Rounds emphasized that Senate Republicans would make their own decisions about who to choose as their new leader and when to oust the former president.

“We have a lot of independent thinkers,” he said, noting that he was looking for a leader who would be willing to stand up to Mr. Trump.

“I want someone who will work with the president, but also take his own position,” said Mr. Rounds, who supports Mr. Thune’s bid, adding that he believed Mr. Thune would be “independent enough what he would pay attention to – just as Mitch did – to the institution of the Senate itself.”