Senate Democrats Have Mixed Feelings About Mitch McConnell Stepping Down

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been a scourge for Democrats, a Supreme Court seat-stealer who voted to acquit Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection in his attempt to remain president.

But Democrats aren’t exactly cheered by the Kentucky Republican’s announcement that he would step down from party leadership later this year since someone worse could replace him.

“I’ve disagreed with Mitch McConnell a whole lot more than I’ve agreed with him, but he mostly has fought to keep government functioning,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told HuffPost.

In recent months, McConnell has spoken out against government shutdowns and in favor of sending aid to Ukraine for its defensive war against Russia. Increasing numbers of House and Senate Republicans are Ukraine skeptics who also openly favor holding the federal budget hostage.

“Watching the latest craziness around funding for Ukraine and passing the budget leaves me worried that, while I’m no fan of McConnell’s, we could do a lot worse on the Republican side,” Warren said.

Other Democrats offered similar sentiments. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised McConnell for collaborating on a major coronavirus relief bill in 2020 and for “recently working together to fund the fight for Ukraine.”

The Senate passed a Ukraine aid bill earlier this month , but the legislation is stalled in the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has hesitated to give it a vote for fear of backlash from Trump devotees in the House GOP conference. Trump, the likely Republican nominee for president, has recently suggested Russia should go ahead and attack other U.S. allies in Europe .

“I know the politics within my party at this particular moment