Infighting. It's not just for House Republicans (and Republican presidential candidates, the rank-and-file GOP and, well, everybody but Senate Republicans) anymore. Yes, now Senate Republicans are in the midst of a big leadership battle. Because of course they are.
Republican lawmakers are split over the question of whether Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a close friend of presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), should have a chance to join the leadership. […]
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters after the meeting that the internal conference rules support keeping his entire leadership team in place for another two years.
But Lee told colleagues behind closed doors that he disagrees. He believes there’s now an open seat at the leadership table for him or another up-and-coming lawmaker.
Lee has told colleagues in phone conversations that Republican Policy Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) must step down from his post at the end of the year because of term limits, and Lee wants to take his place.
FreedomWorks, a Koch spinoff, and Heritage Action are thrilled at the idea of Lee in leadership. "We could not be more excited that Sen. Lee is seeking this post," says the Kochs' guy. "If he is elected, it would be a tremendous boost to grassroots conservative activists across the country and a sign that Senate Republicans are ready to pursue a bold policy agenda." Translation: shutting down the government and defaulting on the debt won't just be a House thing anymore.
Mirroring the current delegate brouhaha around Donald Trump, this is a fight over process and how the Senate majority does leadership. Lee is arguing that the rules say that Republican Policy Committee Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming, (whose job Lee is gunning for), Republican Conference Committee Chairman John Thune of South Dakota and Vice Chairman Roy Blunt of Missouri all have to step down in January because their terms will be up under conference rules. McConnell is arguing that they are all eligible for another two years because their first terms were partial ones. “I think I can safely say it’s been the position of the conference that a partial term does not count toward the three-term limit,” McConnell says.
All that time as Cruz's sidekick must have really worn off on Lee, and now he thinks it's his turn to be the guy trying to turn the Senate into the House. Because there just wasn't enough disarray in the GOP.