Republican Senate Leader if turtle-face loses?

[Free Bird]

Whether or not Republicans win the Senate (which I think they will) is one question. But, one can't deny that Mitch McConnell, in either event, will face his closest, and probably last, election. What happens if he loses? Who will lead the Republicans in the Senate if Mitch loses, possibly even as majority leader?

[Maxwell]

John Cornyn most likely, though Thune could leapfrog.

[Kushahontas]

Cornyn? Thune?

[Free Bird]

Imagine what would go down if Ted Cruz became majority leader.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Corn-dog

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

In my opinion, Cornyn is miles more likable. Just seems like Cornyn would be a much more pleasant partisan battering ram than McConnell.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Imagine what would go down if Ted Cruz became majority leader.

Vast improvement over McTurtle, that's for sure!

[moderatevoter]

Thune or Cornyn, both of whom are more likeable personally, but I wouldn't see a major change in strategy or anything.

[Vosem]

Imagine what would go down if Ted Cruz became majority leader.

The caucus hates him -- it's not happening. It would probably be Cornyn for a while if McConnell went down unexpectedly (ie, not this year), but eventually Thune will be leader.

[Indy Texas]

John Cornyn? The man who, after two terms in the Senate, only got 59% of the vote in his own primary when he basically didn't have anyone actively running against him?

[MadmanMotley]

Maybe the new senior senator from Kentucky?

[Del Tachi]

Cornyn moves up to leader.  Burr and Blunt battle it out for whip.

This allows Alexander or Thune to go for the number three spot.

[moderatevoter]

Isn't Thune already in the number three spot?

Would they put Burr in the leadership, even if he comes from a potentially vulnerable state?

[Del Tachi]

My bad about Thune, I don't know what I was thinking.

Burr and Blunt both want in leadership badly, but they could both be vulnerable in 2016.  Republican leadership needs more Southerners anyway. 

Alexander could leapfrog to leader. 

[moderatevoter]

Yeah, I knew Burr seemed to be itching for it, I just wasn't sure if they'd give it to him.

[Free Bird]

Maybe the new senior senator from Kentucky?

Nah, he wants to be President

[JRP1994]

What about Thad Cochran?

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

What about Thad Cochran?

He's 76 and only cares about being chair of appropriations.

[Del Tachi]

What about Thad Cochran?

He wanted the leadership back in 1996, but backed down against Lott. 

[Orser67]

Yeah I would think Cornyn is the clear frontrunner, with Thune the only other fairly likely possibility. I'm struggling to come up with alternatives:

Too old and/or health concerns: Sessions, Shelby, McCain, Boozman, Isakson, Risch, Roberts, Cochran, Inhofe, Alexander, Hatch, Enzi, Coats
Too moderate: Murkowski, Kirk, Collins
Too new: Flake, Moran, Blunt, Fischer, Heller, Ayotte, Hoeven, Portman, Toomey, Scott, Johnson
Too focused on own political career: Rubio, Paul, Vitter, Cruz
Too hated (by fellow Senators or party activists): Lee, Graham

That leaves Crapo, Wicker, Burr, Corker, and Barrasso. I'll put Blunt and Moran back in the running since they already hold lower-level party positions (along with Barrasso).

Thoughts?

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

Yeah I would think Cornyn is the clear frontrunner, with Thune the only other fairly likely possibility. I'm struggling to come up with alternatives:

Too old and/or health concerns: Sessions, Shelby, McCain, Boozman, Isakson, Risch, Roberts, Cochran, Inhofe, Alexander, Hatch, Enzi, Coats
Too moderate: Murkowski, Kirk, Collins
Too new: Flake, Moran, Blunt, Fischer, Heller, Ayotte, Hoeven, Portman, Toomey, Scott, Johnson
Too focused on own political career: Rubio, Paul, Vitter, Cruz
Too hated (by fellow Senators or party activists): Lee, Graham

That leaves Crapo, Wicker, Burr, Corker, and Barrasso. I'll put Blunt and Moran back in the running since they already hold lower-level party positions (along with Barrasso).

Thoughts?

I think after McConnell we'll see Cornyn, then Thune, unless someone pulls a Lott. McConnell is about ten years older than Cornyn, and Cornyn is about ten years older than Thune. Seems like a natural chain of progression.

Whip's spot would get interesting when McConnell/Cornyn are gone. I always could see Corker or Barrasso moving into leadership for some reason, but there's nothing really hinting he would. Seems like he has a safer seat than Blunt/Burr and could survive long enough electorally to get there. Both of the Idaho senators just seem like they take up space, I don't see them going anywhere.

[MadmanMotley]

I could see Cruz taking advantage of the situation and running for Majority/Minority Leader, and then using his power to endorse in the 2016 election, and then possibly run for president in the future.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

I could see Cruz taking advantage of the situation and running for Majority/Minority Leader, and then using his power to endorse in the 2016 election, and then possibly run for president in the future.

LOL!

The caucus hates him for driving them off a cliff during the shutdown, he'll never be in a leadership position. Plus he is there to "upset the establishment," not become apart of it.

[Suburbia]

Probably Cornyn, Thune may want to be No. 2 or No. 3 in leadership, he may want a VP slot in 2016.

[JRP1994]

This might be an awful idea, but what about Orrin Hatch?