Sen. Dean Heller Won’t Commit to Backing McConnell

Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) was noncommittal when asked if he would continue to support Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as majority leader on Nevada’s Kevin Wall radio show Thursday.

Heller, according to Nevada Independent reporter Riley Snyder, responded to host Wall’s question about McConnell by saying he would “always vote for leadership that’s best for Nevada”

Finally, @DeanHeller wouldn't flat out commit to supporting Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader. Said he'll "always vote for leadership that’s best for Nevada" #nvsen

— Riley Snyder (@RileySnyder) December 21, 2017

The response was less than the more typical endorsement one would expect of a leader who, since he took the reins of the Senate Republicans in 2007, has proved politically unassailable from within his own party. McConnell has recently come under increasing fire from conservatives and “tea party” groups that see him as insufficiently aligned to their principles. McConnell, in return, has been critical of the Tea Party and other challenges to the Republican establishment from the right for years.

The pro-amnesty Heller, however, seems on the surface to be an unlikely source of criticism for McConnell. Heller is facing his own primary challenge from the right in 2018, in the form of Danny Tarkanian, whom Sarah Palin called an “America First outsider.”

Tarkanian himself has slammed McConnell in more harsh terms than Heller did Thursday, and the incumbent’s comment might be read as an attempt to establish his anti-establishment bone fides ahead of an election cycle in which opposition to McConnell has emerged as a badge of distinction among challengers running against the “beltway swamp.”

Regardless, Heller pulled no punches as he attacked Tarkanian, calling him “a phony” and “a fake” before comparing him to failed candidates Roy Moore and Sharon Angle:

Heller is also very confident in #nvsen. "Let’s make it clear that Danny Tarkanian will never be a US Senator…He’s a phony and he’s a fake." Says NV already had its "Roy Moore moment" when Sharon Angle lost to Harry Reid in 2010

— Riley Snyder (@RileySnyder) December 21, 2017

Heller also reiterated his firm support for amnesty for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of so-called “Dreamer” illegal aliens:

Heller, as he's said before, supports path to citizenship for DREAMers. Didn't give a clear answer to @KevinWallRadio as to whether other 11 million people in country illegally should have pathway to citizenship, supports WH deporting 1-2 million "criminal element"

— Riley Snyder (@RileySnyder) December 21, 2017

Heller was, however, confident he would not have to cave to Democrats on amnesty just yet, saying a temporary spending bill would likely pass without shutting down the government:

He's also very confident in temporary spending bill passing soon. "We will not have a government shutdown." Says it will be a clean bill, will deal with DACA & disaster relief in other bills

— Riley Snyder (@RileySnyder) December 21, 2017

The ostensible purpose of the interview was to discuss the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which Heller praised.