“It wasn’t a discussion focused on concessions, it was instead a largely cordial discussion, but a serious discussion about how we in the minority can effectively stop this administration’s disastrous policies,” Cruz said.
He said he believes voters want bold, strong conservative leadership — and not “just acquiesce.”
“I think the Republican Senate minority hasn’t used all the resources at its disposal over the last two years and I think that’s insane, so that’s the position I’ve forcibly articulated,” he said.
Senator Josh Harley of Missouri, who voted for Rick Scott, told reporters after the rally that the disappointing result of last week’s midterm elections is reason enough for change.
“So we had independent voters who voted for Obama and then voted for Trump who disapproved of Joe Biden,” he said. “A significant number of them stayed home instead of voting for Republican candidates. My opinion is that’s why you’re watching this election. That’s why there was no red wave.
“And so I asked both candidates, ‘Do you accept that as a fact? And what do you think we should do differently?’ Because it’s clear that the Republican Party has to do something different if we ever want to be a majority party.”
When asked why he thought the vast majority of the caucus stuck with McConnell, Hawley replied, “Because the conference doesn’t want to change course. They want to do what we do. It works so well.”
