Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl said he wants the next Republican Senate Majority Leader to be someone who will help President-elect Trump implement his agenda.
Republicans will vote on their next leader Wednesday in a secret ballot since the current leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is stepping down from the role.
Currently, the three candidates likely to win the election are U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
Wahl discussed the issue Tuesday on FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show.”
“Look, Senate leadership only swaps out maybe once every 20 or 30 years, actually, who is picked now could be there a very long time. And so I think this is incredibly important, and I think we have to have a fundamental shift from the McConnell era,” Wahl said. “And I think it could be someone who’s in line with these American first policies that Donald Trump talks about.”
Wahl said the new leader needs to reflect the needs of the new Republican coalition that supports Trump.
“They know their mission and they know their duty to the American public, and that’s to put America first, and to kind of follow along this new movement of the Republican Party that really prioritizes the grassroots, defending people’s rights and freedoms, and getting back to the Constitution, and getting back to what our party always was supposed to be, which is a party that puts the Republic and the people of the Republic first,” he argued. “And so I think whoever it is, I think that’s the important thing, is that they understand their their role and the proper role they should have as leader of the USA.”
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) has come out strongly in favor of Scott for the position, while U.S. Sen Katie Britt (R-Auburn) has not announced her choice for the role.
Wahl said he hopes senators will be open to their constituents about why they picked a certain candidate.
“Look, you owe that to your constituents,” he said. “And this thing that I believe very strongly, and because whether it’s this or whether it’s any decision made, you are elected to represent the people of your district or state. And so whether it’s a House member, Senate member, the thought is the same. If you’re actually representing them and that’s your first priority…you have no problem explaining who you’re voting for and why, for leaders position. And I think every single senator across the entire country owes after their constituents.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
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