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Murmurs on the Johns

A chaotic Senate leadership fight beckons as McConnell, the long-reigning top Republican, prepares to step down—ushering a three-way succession battle royale.

Mitch McConnell John Barrasso John Thune John Cornyn
The next Republican leader will probably be an establishment figure, but they’ll likely have to manage upheavals more severe than any McConnell faced. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Abby Livingston
February 29, 2024

For just about anyone with a glancing or even tangential interest in Washington, the recent announcement of Mitch McConnell’s retirement as the top Republican in the Senate at the end of this year, announced earlier today, was hardly a surprise. But the announcement itself, much like the departure of a royal or head of state, immediately unleashed a reservoir of simmering competition, ego, ambition, anxiety, chaos, and the reality that nobody seems to know where the Senate G.O.P. Conference is headed.