Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the on the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.
In today’s edition, senior national political reporter Sahil Kapurbreaks down Mitch McConnell’s decision to step down from his long-held position as Senate Republican leader. Plus, chief Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell takes a look back at the decisions that defined McConnell’s tenure.
McConnell’s exit as leader highlights Trump’s growing influence over the Senate GOP
By Sahil Kapur
Mitch McConnell made the long-anticipated, yet seismic, announcement on Wednesday that he’ll step down as Senate GOP leader at the end of this year, ending his tenure as the longest-serving Senate leader in U.S. history.
The move is, at least in part, a product of his advanced age. The 82-year-old, first elected 40 years ago, has had a few recent high-profile freeze-ups on camera.
But it’s also driven by political considerations. The Senate Republican conference has increasingly transformed itself in the image of Donald Trump, a dynamic that has diminished McConnell’s once-formidable influence over his members.
That shift was evident in the recent McConnell-backed bipartisan deal for tougher border security and Ukraine aid, which just four of his members supported. In an awkward reversal, McConnell himself voted against it, a stark acknowledgement that he was overruled.
Trump, who had pushed for McConnell’s ouster, recently said he’s not sure he could work with the Kentucky Republican if he returns to the White House. McConnell, whose relationship with Trump broke irreparably in the aftermath of the 2020 election, is the only member of congressional GOP leadership who hasn’t endorsed the former president’s 2024 White House bid, even as he marches to the party’s nomination.
Trump will surely loom large over the battle to replace McConnell as well. That contest begins with the “three Johns” — Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota — who are all current or former deputies to McConnell. Cornyn and Thune both have mixed histories with Trump, while Barrasso has been more consistently in line with the former president.
McConnell’s internal critics, who were once small and quiet, have grown bigger and louder. He was guaranteed to face a challenge if he sought another term, and his path was rocky, at best. Instead of dealing with that, he’s now leaving leadership on his own terms.
The question now is what role McConnell will play outside of leadership: He indicated in his speech Wednesday that he’ll serve out the remainder of his Senate term, which ends in January 2027.
McConnell’s old-school approach often collided with raw politics
Analysis by Andrea Mitchell
As a leader, Mitch McConnell was a study in contrasts: an old-school Senate “gentleman” from the good old days when your word was your bond.
But he was also willing to break precedents and deny Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee even a hearing at the start of an election year. And then he reversed course to get Donald Trump’s third nominee confirmed a week before Election Day.
Think of McConnell as Lucy with the football: leading Joe Biden as vice president, and then president, to think he could always count on negotiating a deal with his old Senate pal Mitch. Until he couldn’t.
And there’s McConnell denouncing Trump for provoking the Jan. 6 mob at the U.S. Capitol, but a month later protecting Trump from being convicted for it. Then endorsing Trump-backed election deniers for the Senate.
In his announcement that he’ll step aside as Senate Republican leader, McConnell confessed to loving Ronald Reagan so much he married his wife on the former president’s birthday, acknowledging that’s not the most romantic thing to admit. Probably the truest burden contributing to his decision is grief over the death of his beloved sister-in-law, Angela Chao, in a car accident.
Now the Senate minority leader’s final test on an issue of principle could be whether he’s able to persuade an unschooled House speaker to deliver on the Ukraine aid McConnell believes in so fervently, a hallmark of Reagan Republicanism.
That won’t be easy because what was left unsaid in McConnell’s Senate speech: The veteran leader has lost control of his conference — and the GOP — to Trump. And there’s nothing old school in that.
????️ Today’s top stories
???? We have a deal: Congressional leaders have reached an agreement to avert a partial government shutdown — for now. Read more →
⚖️ On the docket: The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether Trump can claim presidential immunity over criminal election interference charges. Justices will hear the case the week of April 22. Read more →
???? Hunted becomes the Hunter : During closed-door congressional testimony on Wednesday, Hunter Biden pushed back on GOP claims that his father was involved in his business dealings. Read more →
⌚ It’s getting late early: Chuck Todd writes about how the window for third-party presidential alternatives may have already closed. Read more →
???? An offer they couldn’t refuse: The Washington Post looks at how NRSC Chair Steve Daines has attempted to avoid messy GOP primary fights this year in what they call the “return of the party boss.” Read more →
???? New maps, New York: State lawmakers approved a new congressional map for New York that will give Democrats a slight boost in their battle for the House majority this fall. Read more →
???? Time for a check-up: A White House doctor said Joe Biden is “fit for duty” after the president underwent a routine physical Wednesday morning. Read more →
???? Guess who’s back: Marianne Williamson announced she is relaunching her Democratic presidential campaign after bowing out of the race weeks ago. Read more →
????️ March Forth: In the DC area on March 4th ? Our friends at MSNBC Live are hosting a power lunch that day to preview Super Tuesday and the State of the Union address – hosted by Luke Russert and featuring Steve Kornacki, Jen Psaki, Stephanie Ruhle, and special guests Quentin Fulks, Former Governor Larry Hogan, and Sophia Bush. The event is invite only and space is limited, so click on the link to request a spot. Please note: request does not guarantee an invitation. Request an invitation →
That’s all from The Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com.
OTTAWA – The Liberal caucus turned its attention to the party’s plan for the next election on Wednesday, after an unsuccessful attempt by some MPs to oust Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week.
Longtime Liberal operative Andrew Bevan was named the new national campaign director two weeks ago and made his first presentation to the full caucus during the weekly meeting.
The next election must be held by Oct. 20, 2025, but it could come much sooner. The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois have pledged to try to bring down the minority government this fall.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday that his party wouldn’t help them topple the Liberals. The Conservatives and Bloc don’t have enough MPs between them to defeat the government if the Liberals and NDP vote together.
The presentation was initially scheduled to happen last Wednesday, but that nearly three-hour meeting was instead dominated by discussions of Trudeau’s leadership.
Toronto-area MP Nate Erskine-Smith said the party’s leadership was not the focus of caucus this week, and the priority was hearing from Bevan.
“It was very much focused on: these are the next steps from a party perspective, and people were able to weigh in with their own feedback as far as it goes,” Erskine-Smith said following the meeting.
“That question from last week to what’s the finality, that wasn’t part of it.”
MPs were not able to share specific details of what was discussed in the meeting due to caucus confidentiality.
At last week’s meeting, a group of around two dozen MPs presented a letter to Trudeau calling on him to step aside. The dissenters gave him until Monday to make a decision — but he made it clear he plans to lead the party in the next election.
Several MPs have since said they want to hold a secret ballot vote to decide on whether Trudeau should stay on as leader. However, the Liberal party chose after the last election not to use Reform Act rules that would have allowed a caucus to hold a secret vote to oust the leader.
British Columbia MP Patrick Weiler said he thinks the leadership concerns are not over.
“I think we had a very good meeting last week, and I think there are a lot of unresolved questions from that, that still need to be addressed,” Weiler said while heading to question period on Wednesday.
“I think there are a lot of people that are still looking for some answers to those things and until that’s addressed, that’s going to be lingering.”
But several other MPs and cabinet ministers said they feel the matter is resolved and it’s time to move on to planning for the next campaign.
Judy Sgro, a veteran Ontario MP of nearly 25 years, said even though the Liberals are trailing the Conservatives in the polls, she believes they can pull off a victory.
“I’ve been through five leaders, this is my fifth leader. Most of the time they’re unpopular, but we still manage to win,” she said.
Erskine-Smith said the “overwhelming focus” for now is on what comes next, but he could see leadership troubles come up again depending on the results of two upcoming votes.
Byelections are pending in former Liberal ridings on both coasts: a vote must happen in Cloverdale—Langley City by Jan. 13 and in Halifax by April 14.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.
Voters in Nova Scotia are scheduled to go to the polls on Nov. 26. At dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats in the 55-seat legislature, the Liberals held 14 seats, the NDP had six and there was one Independent.
Here’s a look at some of the promises announced by the three major parties:
Progressive Conservatives:
— Cut the harmonized sales tax by one percentage point, to 14 per cent, by April 1. (Announced shortly before election call.)
— Increase the basic personal exemption on the Nova Scotia income tax to $11,744 from $8,744.
— Increase minimum wage in 2025 to $16.50 per hour from $15.20 per hour.
— Remove the tolls from the two Halifax harbour bridges at a cost to government coffers of $40 million.
Liberals:
— Establish the position of ethics commissioner with order-making powers; give more resources to auditor general.
— Grant order-making powers to the privacy commissioner so that rulings related to access to information requests and other privacy matters can be enforced.
— Implement fine of $250,000 for any governing party that defies law on fixed election date.
— Remove the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax on all food that isn’t already tax-free, such as snack foods, granola products, and rotisserie chickens, at a cost of $11 million annually.
— Provide about $10 million in subsidies for independent grocers and food retailers in the form of grants and low-interest loans to help them expand and compete with big retailers.
NDP:
Announced a housing plan in May 2024 that would:
— Prioritize the use of prefabricated housing to expand public housing stock.
— Increase loans to help with down payments on homes, to 10 per cent of purchase price (up from five per cent), for a maximum of $50,000; extend the repayment period to 25 years from 10 years.
— Establish rent control and provide a tax credit for renters from low and middle-income households.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2024.
