But some say if the GOP leader votes to convict Trump, his backing will quickly wane.

"If he does, I don't know if he can stay as leader," said one senior GOP senator who said several of his colleagues held similar views and asked not to be named discussing sensitive internal politics.

Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican and Trump ally, told CNN when asked if he could support McConnell if he voted to convict Trump, calling such a vote a "dangerous precedent" and adding: "I don't even think we should be having a trial."

McConnell has not said how he would vote in the impeachment trial, telling his colleagues and associates that he would keep an open mind and listen to the arguments presented when the trial gets underway.

But we pressed on."

After 10 House Republicans broke ranks to join every Democrat to impeach Trump last week on a charge of inciting an insurrection, a number of Republican senators are taking a similar posture as McConnell -- saying they're truly undecided and will listen to the arguments -- a key sign that they could very well be swayed by the position the GOP leader ultimately takes.

Liz Cheney of her GOP leadership post for supporting impeachment, a predicament some Republican senators privately believe could hound McConnell if he seeks to end Trump's political career.

McConnell, who has aligned himself with Trump's agenda for the past four years and was responsible for helping him reshape the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court, has had little interaction with Trump in recent weeks after the former President grew increasingly isolated by his efforts to overturn the elections.

And some Trump loyalists say if McConnell and at least 16 of his GOP colleagues join 50 Democrats to convict the ex-President, they'll see a major backlash from the party's base that will thwart their hopes of winning back the Senate majority next year.

Mitt Romney, the Utah Republican who was the lone GOP senator who voted to convict Trump in 2020, said McConnell has told his colleagues: "You should vote your conscience," adding that the GOP leader "has not in any way tried to pressure folks to go one way or another."

"We're asked to apply impartial justice," Romney said.

"You're going to impeach a guy who's not even in town anymore?"

Asked what it would mean for the party if Republicans joined Democrats to convict Trump, Tuberville said: "It wouldn't be good.

Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, said many Republican senators view McConnell as "certainly iconic, I mean the guy's a Senate legend and rightfully so."

But he discounted that McConnell's vote would have much of an impact on the party's electoral prospects.