Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says it's a "good morning" for Republicans. He says President Donald Trump helped keep the Senate in GOP hands.
The Kentucky Republican spoke Wednesday morning, hours after midterm election voters kept the Senate controlled by Republicans, even as they flipped the House to a Democratic majority.
McConnell told reporters of the Senate elections: "We had a very good day. I'm proud of what happened. The president was very helpful to us."
McConnell warned that Democrats in the House will have to decide how much they want to "harass" Trump.
He also said the contentious, partisan fight over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's nomination was "very helpful" in winning Senate seats.
McConnell said Republicans were worried by voter apathy on their side but the debate over Kavanaugh was like an "adrenaline shot" to GOP voters.
He said he thinks core Republican voters were "highly offended" by Democrats' tactics in the debate. He said Democrats questioned Kavanaugh's presumption of innocence.
Kavanaugh was confirmed last month after a California professor accused him of sexual assault when both were teenagers.
McConnell also tweaked some of his Democrat colleagues in the Senate who are believed to have presidential aspirations.
He quipped that Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, "may have some attendance problems from time to time." That's because Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Kamala Harris of California are among those considering presidential bids in 2020.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.