McConnell’s Rough Year Gets Much Worse After Health Bill Failure

  • Health bill failure, loss of allies casts cloud ahead of taxes
  • Pressure on Republicans to deliver on year-end priorities

Senate Republicans Give Up Obamacare Repeal Bid

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Majority Leader Mitch McConnell started the year with a reputation as a master Senate puppeteer. These days, he’s looking more like the puppet.

McConnell was mostly a bystander on Tuesday as events in the Senate went from bad to worse. Another Obamacare repeal effort collapsed. A hard-right Alabama conservative who vilifies him by name won a Senate GOP primary. And one of his closest allies in the chamber, Bob Corker of Tennessee, said he will retire after next year.