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CNN Sunday Morning
GOP Expected to Elect Frist Senate Majority Leader Monday
Aired December 22, 2002 - 08:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: First up this hour, the GOP will have a new look Monday when Tennessee's Bill Frist is to be elected Senate Republican leader. As you know, Senator Lott stepped aside after the uproar over comments many said were racist. So what exactly has to happen now before Frist takes the leadership role?
For that, we check in with CNN's Elaine Quijano, who is in Washington -- hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka.
Well, it certainly has been a fast turn of events here in Washington. It was just last Thursday when Tennessee Senator Bill Frist came forward and said that he would, in fact, be a candidate for the Senate majority leader position. Of course, on Friday Trent Lott, Senator Lott stepped down from that position and now a conference call has been scheduled for Monday during which Senator Frist is expected to be elected the new Senate GOP leader.
Now, he needs the support of 26 senators, but sources say he has at least 32 of his colleagues backing him now. Senator Frist is well respected. He's the Senate's first doctor in decades, a graduate of Princeton and Harvard. Senator Frist is a heart surgeon for whom health care issues have been and will likely continue to be top priorities.
Now, last Thursday Senator Frist said he came forward as a candidate after being approached by members of his party. A key supporter for him will be Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell. Senator McConnell, in fact, the number two Republican in the new Senate and a close ally of Trent Lott's.
Now, there was talk that perhaps Senator McConnell himself would be in the running for that position, but on Friday he did come out and endorse Bill Frist, ensuring and helping to ensure that Senator Frist would, in fact, take that position.
Again, that conference call is scheduled to take place on Monday, Republicans saying they wanted to have someone in place well before the Senate convenes on January 7 -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Elaine, how about among the Democrats? How popular is Frist among them, on the Hill?
QUIJANO: Well, they are very optimistic. They're hopeful, they say, that this, in fact, is more than just a cosmetic change, more than just a political change. They're really looking for some sort of substantive issues to change here and they're hoping that perhaps, especially in the issue, in the areas of minority issues, that Senator Frist will work with them. But they are being cautiously optimistic about this, wanting to make sure that this, in fact, is more than just a change that had to do with political advantage for the Republicans, that, in fact, this would be more of a substantive change -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano from Capitol Hill, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 22, 2002 - 08:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: First up this hour, the GOP will have a new look Monday when Tennessee's Bill Frist is to be elected Senate Republican leader. As you know, Senator Lott stepped aside after the uproar over comments many said were racist. So what exactly has to happen now before Frist takes the leadership role?
For that, we check in with CNN's Elaine Quijano, who is in Washington -- hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka.
Well, it certainly has been a fast turn of events here in Washington. It was just last Thursday when Tennessee Senator Bill Frist came forward and said that he would, in fact, be a candidate for the Senate majority leader position. Of course, on Friday Trent Lott, Senator Lott stepped down from that position and now a conference call has been scheduled for Monday during which Senator Frist is expected to be elected the new Senate GOP leader.
Now, he needs the support of 26 senators, but sources say he has at least 32 of his colleagues backing him now. Senator Frist is well respected. He's the Senate's first doctor in decades, a graduate of Princeton and Harvard. Senator Frist is a heart surgeon for whom health care issues have been and will likely continue to be top priorities.
Now, last Thursday Senator Frist said he came forward as a candidate after being approached by members of his party. A key supporter for him will be Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell. Senator McConnell, in fact, the number two Republican in the new Senate and a close ally of Trent Lott's.
Now, there was talk that perhaps Senator McConnell himself would be in the running for that position, but on Friday he did come out and endorse Bill Frist, ensuring and helping to ensure that Senator Frist would, in fact, take that position.
Again, that conference call is scheduled to take place on Monday, Republicans saying they wanted to have someone in place well before the Senate convenes on January 7 -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Elaine, how about among the Democrats? How popular is Frist among them, on the Hill?
QUIJANO: Well, they are very optimistic. They're hopeful, they say, that this, in fact, is more than just a cosmetic change, more than just a political change. They're really looking for some sort of substantive issues to change here and they're hoping that perhaps, especially in the issue, in the areas of minority issues, that Senator Frist will work with them. But they are being cautiously optimistic about this, wanting to make sure that this, in fact, is more than just a change that had to do with political advantage for the Republicans, that, in fact, this would be more of a substantive change -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano from Capitol Hill, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
