Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) decision to step down as Senate GOP leader, which he announced Wednesday, opens up a fierce battle to lead the Republican conference.
One name near the top of the list: Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the No. 3 Senate Republican and one of the chamber’s most vocal critics of Biden administration energy policy.
Barrasso has not yet announced a leadership bid but, as chair of the Senate Republican Conference, has been named as a top contender.
Other likely candidates include Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) and former whip John Cornyn (R-Texas). Barrasso would not commit to a bid Wednesday, telling reporters that he is focused on the 2024 presidential election and Senate contests.
Barrasso has been the top Republican on the Energy Committee since 2021. While the committee is majority-Democratic, Chairman Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is also a frequent opponent of the Biden administration on energy issues, leading to frequent common ground between the two leaders.
During his time on the committee, Barrasso has vocally opposed numerous Biden nominees, including Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning, citing her past links to saboteurs involved in tree-spiking, the practice of putting metal rods into trees to obstruct logging.
Most recently, the Wyoming Republican announced earlier in February that he would try to amend an international security bill to block the Biden administration’s pause on new natural gas exports. “If it truly is open for amendments, there will be an amendment — and I will bring one on … stopping what the president has done with this,” Barrasso said.
