Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has decided rightly that his current term will be his last in the US Senate. It comes on the heels of a slew of health issues that have been very public, especially the ones where the Kentucky Republican has fallen. The person mentioned to replace him is a good pick, but that would mean the libs on CNN would no longer be shredded on live television on a nightly basis.
CNN’s Scott Jennings is the person who might be tapped to run in 2026. It’s gaining traction, though Jennings seems to be having fun owning progressives on numerous programs, namely Abby Phillip’s show. Is he willing to give that up to deal with the torpid confines of the US Senate? Who knows (via Fox News):
Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings is being privately and publicly encouraged to run for Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s open Senate seat in 2026, sources, including a Republican operative familiar with the race, told Fox News Digital Wednesday.
Some conservative personalities floated the possibility publicly on X. The pundit is known for his advocacy of the Trump administration on the airwaves, and he regularly goes viral for debating liberal pundits on the cable television network.
He served as a longtime advisor to the outgoing Kentucky senator and previously worked in the George W. Bush administration.
McConnell could resign today, as his state changed the law regarding filling vacancies. Now, a special election must be held to fill the slot.
When “McConnell should go” talk was brought up in years past, what stopped it was fear that Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear might ignore the previous law requiring the vacancy be filled through an executive committee that would select three names from the outgoing senator’s party. There was concern that Beshear, who presides over a Republican-controlled state legislature, would defy the law to set up for a challenge in court. The governor vetoed the new special election tweak, but the legislature overrode it.
I don’t think McConnell or Jennings is in a rush anyway, but it’s a name I’d support.