Small-state Republicans 'rally around their own' as Trump prepares loyalty test: analysis
Donald Trump has already queued up an uncomfortable loyalty test for Senate Republicans with a long string of controversial nominees even they would struggle to support, like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for attorney general — and it remains to be seen whether there will be any serious resistance. However, reportxed Paul Kane for The Washington Post, there are already signs that many Senate Republicans — particularly those from small states — are looking to "rally around their own" instead of Trump.
"Sen. John Thune (South Dakota) overcame doubts about his past criticism of President-elect Donald Trump and won his secret-ballot election in an old-fashioned manner. Thune assembled a coalition that began with other GOP allies from similarly small states, defeating big-state, big-money rivals from Texas and Florida," wrote Kane. He did so partly by assuring colleagues he would back Trump where important — but gave some hints that he might not align in some ways.
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In particular, noted the report, "When asked about filibuster rules that force 60-vote hurdles on most legislation, Thune retreated into Senate-speak by referring to the chamber’s tradition of being a 'place where the minority has a voice" — an indication he plans to hold the line if Trump does what he did in his first term and demand a repeal of the rule.
Trump didn't make a personal endorsement in the race for majority leader, which also included Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), although Scott was a personal favorite of a number of pro-Trump activists.
"On Tuesday evening, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) told reporters that Thune could immediately count on the support of the three other senators from the Dakotas. 'As long as the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt is alive, the Dakotans will stick together,' Cramer said, referencing the 26th president’s pre-White House days of ranching in the Dakota Territory," wrote Kane. Meanwhile, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) is also likely to back Thune on anything he supports, creating a power center "from three states with a combined population of less than 5 million people."
So far, there are few indications of how unified the Senate GOP will be on Trump's more off-the-wall Cabinet picks, like Gaetz, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, Fox News personality Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, and vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head up Health and Human Services.