UNITED STATES: On Wednesday, top US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell fended off a challenge to his leadership as some of Donald Trump's closest congressional allies attacked him and his party won a smaller majority than expected.

Senator Rick Scott attempted to oust McConnell as minority leader, claiming that the "D.C. swamp" was to blame for the party's failure to win a Senate majority, but McConnell retained his position as party leader. The first challenge was faced in the reign of about 16 years.

That effort failed, even after Trump repeatedly called for McConnell's dismissal and endorsed Scott as a replacement. McConnell angered Trump by declaring Democrat Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Trump, who on Tuesday announced his bid for the White House in 2024, falsely claimed he was the victim of fraud.

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A beaming McConnell told reporters at a news conference after the vote, "I am not upset, in any way, about having an opponent or having some votes against me.

Republicans expected a "red wave" of support in the November 8 elections, but they were unable to overturn the narrow Democratic Senate majority. With 8 seats to be called, he won the 218 seats needed for a majority in the House. Edison Research predicted Democrats would win 209 seats.

The defeat dented Biden's influence in Washington, but on Wednesday he congratulated his Republican rivals and declared a willingness to cooperate with them to serve the interests of the American people.

Biden said in a statement, "The American people want us to get things done for them.
According to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats "will continue to play a major role in supporting President Biden's agenda – with strong leverage over a small Republican majority."

According to the senators, 37 Republicans supported McConnell, who is now set to become the longest-serving party leader in Senate history next year. Ten Republicans supported Scott, and one cast a "present" vote.

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Scott said in a statement that although the results of today's election were not what he had hoped for, "this is far from the end of our fight to make Washington work."

Scott's supporter, Republican Senator Mike Braun, told reporters that the failed challenge expressed concerns from conservatives who want more influence in policy-making and could benefit from a contest with McConnell as leader.

"He won with authority," commented Braun. "He is strong if he embraces what some members of the caucus want to gain a little resonance."

Scott and McConnell both spoke to the crowd, which also included newly elected Senate Republicans like JD Vance and Ted Budd who support Trump. Scott and his supporters criticized McConnell for failing to present a party platform during the midterm elections.

To accommodate conservatives who want more say in decisions, McConnell gave no indication that he would change the way the convention operates.

But given that several Trump-backed House and Senate candidates lost their elections, other Republicans declared it was time for the party to move on from the president.

Senator Mitt Romney told reporters, "President Trump has canceled three elections in a row. And we need a new leader if we want to start winning."

A day after McCarthy defeated an opponent for the position of House speaker, conservatives in the chamber continued to criticize the Republican Party leader.

McCarthy, the minority leader, still lacked the support needed to take over as Speaker of the House. Yesterday's polling reflected growing discontent with the current situation.

On Wednesday, Representative Andy Biggs, who ran against the California Republican but lost 188-31, posted on Twitter.
Biggs said, "The American people want us to turn the page.

House Republicans met later that day to discuss chamber rules for the upcoming Congress, while the Senate met in the morning to elect Republican Party leaders. The process of finalizing the party's rules package could take weeks.

Biggs is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-line conservatives who want to change the rules to make it easier for members to remove the speaker, among other things.
McConnell provided his own analysis of the party's disappointing midterm results.

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"That's the point," he said. We fared poorly with independents, moderate Republicans and voters who disapproved of the performance of President Biden, who looked at us and said, "Too much chaos, too much negativity. And a