McConnell elected minority party Senate leader

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Sen. Mitch McConnell on Wednesday was comfortably reelected as the GOP leader in the upper chamber despite a challenge -- his first in 15 years -- and despite intraparty finger-pointing over the GOP's disappointing performance in the midterms last week.

McConnell had faced opposition from Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who mounted a historic campaign for the post atop the Republican conference.

The leadership vote, done by secret ballot behind closed doors in the ornate Old Senate Chamber, was 37-10, with one member voting present, per Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

The conference met for three and a half hours.

An effort led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to postpone Wednesday’s leadership vote also failed with supporters garnering 16 votes, per two GOP aides. He and his supporters pushed for the delay because they wanted the party to be squarely focused on the Dec. 6 Georgia runoff race, which could deliver one extra voting member to the conference if Republican candidate Herschel Walker is successful over Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnoc