Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Aug. 29 opined that GOP Senate hopefuls with former President Donald Trump’s backing have a “good chance of winning” in November.
McConnell has long had an adversarial relationship with the former president. That rift has only grown further in recent years as McConnell has tried to turn the focus of this year’s midterms away from Trump and toward criticizing President Joe Biden’s policies.
McConnell told reporters in his home state of Kentucky that he had decided to host fundraisers for three prime contenders in battleground states: Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is running for the open Pennsylvania Senate seat, Herschel Walker, who is trying to take Sen. Raphael Warnock’s (D-Ga.) seat, and Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), who is vying for the open North Carolina Senate seat.McConnell explained that he had chosen to host the fundraiser for the Trump-backed nominees because they are “in critical states and [have] a good chance of winning.”