Sen. Mike Lee Shakes Up The Race to Replace Mitch McConnell as Senate Republican Leader

The sun is setting in Mitch McConnell's time as Senate GOP leader, a position he's held for almost two decades. As he prepares to step down from that role, some of his fellow Republicans are setting the stage for the next generation of leadership.

It remains unclear who has the greatest shot to succeed McConnell, but some of the top contenders include Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.) and Rick Scott (R-Fl.)

Ahead of an official election, other Senate members are starting to voice their demands and concerns ahead of November. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) kicked off proposals in a letter obtained by Politico which laid out a series of tasks meant to decentralize power inside the Senate Republican Conference.

Although the list doesn't specify itself as a list of demands, it will likely be seen as a roadmap for winning the support of the roughly dozen conservative senators whom Lee is believed to be speaking for, according to the outlet.

"The best way we can help lower the temperature of our politics and restore public trust in our institutions is to ensure that the people have more say in the laws that govern their lives," Lee wrote in the letter. "We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do so with the upcoming election for our Senate Republican leadership."

"This is our moment to reaffirm and strengthen the greatest features of the Senate and set a new course for our conference," he continued. "I am confident that with the right leadership and a commitment to these reforms, we can create a stronger, more accountable Senate that truly serves the people."

The proposals outlined in the document are largely related to the Conference's procedures, rather than particular policies. Because of that, they're similar to the demands that the hard-right House Freedom Caucus made last year ahead of Kevin McCarthy's election as House Speaker.

Among Lee's initial bid on the race include requiring three-fourths of the Conference to agree before the leader can "fill the tree," an increasingly frequent procedural maneuver by which a majority leader can effectively shut down potential amendments; require four weeks of debate and amendment for omnibus appropriations bills; create a "floor schedule" at the outset of the legislative year for appropriations and stick to it; and propose "policy goals" and "specific strategies" to achieve them that Republicans should aim for during high-stakes negotiations.

The Utah Senator's letter is his latest effort to try to shape the decision.

Back in September, Lee tried to convince his Senate colleagues to delay the vote potentially into December. A delay of even a few weeks could leave more time for former President Donald Trump to weigh in or for a last-minute, dark horse candidate to rise, according to Axios.

"We need adequate time to meet as a conference— probably on multiple occasions— between the general election and the leadership election," he said.

McConnell dismissed Lee's suggestion and shot down conservatives' push to impose term limits on the next leader. Recent leadership elections have taken place around a week after the general election.