Ted Cruz votes against Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, addresses a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 6, 2021. (Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, voted Wednesday to oust Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from the top of his party’s conference, though the long-standing Republican leader overcame the intraparty challenge.

During a closed-door Senate Republican meeting on Wednesday, Cruz supported a bid by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, to replace McConnell — the first challenge to McConnell’s leadership since the Kentuckian took control of the party in 2007. Scott is the head of the Senate Republican campaign arm.