“McConnell is party line, which is true to form, that he wants a Republican majority,” said a GOP strategist and former Senate aide who is sympathetic to McConnell’s point of view. Trump “is less concerned with a majority and more concerned with a Trump-focused majority — I think he would be comfortable with a minority in the Senate if it were a Trump-loyal minority.”

A bumper crop of senators loyal to Trump, rather than to the party or McConnell, could complicate McConnell’s efforts to lead.

Already, he is losing reliable Republican allies such as Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Richard Shelby of Alabama and Richard Burr of North Carolina to retirement…

Trump has long encouraged Republican senators to oust McConnell from his leadership post, and two candidates, Tshibaka and Eric Greitens of Missouri, have vowed to vote for someone else if they are elected. While McConnell is safe — Senate leadership votes are taken by secret ballot, and colleagues widely view him as an effective leader — he wants to make sure that he can manage the Republican conference.

“That, he’s interested in,” the Republican senator said.