Rubio calls for postponement of Senate GOP leadership vote, following midterm letdown

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Friday called for a delay in the upcoming Senate leadership vote, a sign of a possible intra-party fight brewing among top GOP officials on Capitol Hill, particularly after the GOP's surprise underperformance during the 2022 midterms.

Rubio made the demand on Friday via his Twitter account.

"The Senate GOP leadership vote next week should be postponed," he wrote. "First we need to make sure that those who want to lead us are genuinely committed to fighting for the priorities & values of the working Americans (of every background) who gave us big wins in states like [Florida]," he argued. 

The demand from Rubio may suggest a looming fight between top Senate Republicans regarding the direction the party should take into 2024 and beyond. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would likely had become majority leader had the GOP won big Tuesday night and retook control of the chamber.

But the so-so results also appear to have reignited interest in the conflicting views of McConnell and Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott, who was responsible for Republicans retaking the Senate majority and who had reportedly planned to challenge McConnell for the leadership post. 

Rubio's tweet was followed by one from fellow GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, of Missouri, who agreed, saying, "Exactly right."

However, his concerns seemed more about voting after enough midterm ballots are counted in Senate races to determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the chamber – including Georgia's with GOP nominee Herschel Walker.

"I don’t know why Senate GOP would hold a leadership vote for the next Congress before this election is finished," Hawley also tweeted. "We have a runoff in #GASenate _ are they saying that doesn’t matter? Don’t disenfranchise @HerschelWalker."