Mitch McConnell: Republicans Might Lose The Senate

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Majority Leader, believes the GOP may not keep control of the Senate after the November elections.

McConnell, speaking to a Louisville, Kentucky, civic group on August 11, referred to the upcoming election as being very dicey and said that Republicans need to be on defense, regardless of who is their party’s presidential nominee, according to AP.

“I may or may not be calling the shots next year,” he said.

McConnell added that Republicans are in a dogfight and that the GOP-held seats in New Hampshire, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, and Indiana are very competitive.

There are 24 GOP-held seats on the ballot this year, compared with 10 for Democrats.

In order for Democrats to take back the majority in the Senate, the party must pick up five seats, or four if Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wins the electon.

McConnell warned the crowd that if Republicans lose control of the Senate, their ability “to impact judicial appointments will be considerably diminished.”

He also commented on Donald Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, during his speech.

He said he hopes Trump “settles down and follows the script.”

When asked to comment on Trump’s statement that President Barack Obama is the founder of ISIS, McConnell diverted the topic to focus on beating Clinton.

“I’m hoping that we can make this election about Hillary Clinton. I think if we do, we can win,” he said.

McConnell said that voting for Trump will be easy for him, and that when Trump “says something I have to speak up on, I will. But that doesn’t mean I don’t support him.”

The Kentucky Senator did challenge Trump’s remarks on NATO in July.

When Trump said that under his leadership the United States may not aid its NATO allies, McConnell told Politico that he did not agree with the presidential nominee.

“I disagree with that,” McConnell said July 21 at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. “NATO is the most important military alliance in world history. I want to reassure our NATO allies that if any of them get attacked, we’ll be there to defend them.”

During his speech in Kentucky, McConnell said it’s obvious that neither Clinton or Trump are “widely appealing to the American people.”

Sources: AP, Politico / Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr