Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – who’s been widely criticized for ‘blowing‘ the midterm election by abandoning Trump-endorsed Arizona candidate Blake Masters – has been reelected as Senate GOP leader despite a challenge from Sen. Rick Scott.

If he completes this term, McConnell will be the longest-serving party leader in the history of the Senate.

Several senators had called for the election to be postponed, including Ted Cruz (R-TX), who wanted to offer a motion to delay until after the Georgia runoff. The effort failed, and McConnell beat Scott.

“I’m writing to you today because I believe it’s time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute than we have been in the past. We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against,” Scott said in a Tuesday letter to GOP colleagues, Fox News reports. “I do not believe we can simply continue to say the Democrats are radical, which they are. Republican voters expect and deserve to know our plan to promote and advance conservative values.”

“If you simply want to stick with the status quo, don’t vote for me,” the letter continued.

McConnell, meanwhile, got cocky.

“I have the votes. I will be elected,” he told reporters. “The only issue is whether we do it sooner or later.”

The leadership election comes at a tense time for Republicans, who are reeling from weak midterm elections. Despite a poor economy and favorable historical trends, they took just a miniscule majority in the House and failed to win the Senate. 

Former President Donald Trump also announced his 2024 presidential run Tuesday night, which will set up plenty of uncomfortable questions for Republicans for months to come. Trump has repeatedly called for McConnell’s ouster.

According to senators in the Tuesday GOP meeting, which dragged for about three hours and delayed Senate votes, the marathon session was filled with grievances as Republicans sought direction after the results of the 2022 vote. -Fox News

“A lot of frustration, lots of discussion,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as he left the vote. ”

According to Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), around 20 people spoke at the meeting prior to the vote, with around half of them pressing for “something different.”