Reported Whip Leak: GOP Senate Leadership Race

Sundance reporting for Conservative Treehouse 

According to Benny Johnson, the whip of rough votes for leadership has been leaked. I have no idea if this is accurate, but in general terms it seems about correct. Thune with 24 votes, Cornyn with 18, Scott with 11. That math tracks with what I would anticipate.

Rick Scott is essentially the 2024 version of Jim DeMint.

A GOP Senate Source has leaked the internal whip-count for the Leadership Vote. The final votes will be on a secret ballot Wednesday.

Here is where the race stands now:

Cornyn (18)
Scott (11)
Thune (24)

Details:

Banks – Thune
Barrasso – Thune
Blackburn – Thune
Boozman – Cornyn
Britt – Cornyn
Budd – Cornyn
Capito – Cornyn
Cassidy – Thune
Collins – Thune
Cornyn – Cornyn
Cotton – Thune
Cramer – Thune
Crapo – Cornyn
Cruz – Thune
Curtis – Thune
Daines – Thune
Ernst – Cornyn
Fischer – Cornyn
Graham – Cornyn
Grassley – Cornyn
Hagerty – Scott
Hawley – Cornyn
Hoeven – Thune
Hyde-Smith – Cornyn
Johnson – Scott
Justice – Thune
Kennedy – Cornyn
Lankford – Cornyn
Lee – Scott
Lummis – Thune
Marshall – Scott
McConnell – Thune
McCormick – Cornyn
Moran – Cornyn
Moreno – Scott
Mullin – Thune
Murkowski – Thune
Paul – Scott
Ricketts – Cornyn
Risch – Cornyn
Rounds – Thune
Rubio – Scott
Schmitt – Scott
Scott (FL) – Scott
Scott (SC) – Thune
Sheehy – Thune
Sullivan – Thune
Tillis – Thune
Thune – Cornyn
Tuberville – Scott
Vance – Scott
Wicker – Thune
Young – Thune

[SOURCE]

If they did a second round with only Thune and Cornyn, the Scott group would probably split 50/50 (or a little better) in Thune’s favor.

Like I said, don’t get emotional on this one. The upper chamber is a completely self-preserving, hardened silo.

President Trump is taking the pragmatic, optimal solution approach, and negotiating his priority nominations past the leadership race.