Sen. John Thune (R-SD) has been elected the next GOP leader in the Senate, ushering in a new generation of leadership after nearly two decades of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) running the conference.
A majority of GOP senators supported Thune, currently the Senate minority whip, in a secret ballot held weeks before Republicans take control of the Senate. He received 29 votes on the second ballot Wednesday, compared to 24 for Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) was eliminated in the first round of voting after receiving the fewest votes.
“I want to thank my colleagues who placed their faith in me to serve as leader, and those who were supporting another candidate,” Thune said in a press conference after his election. “I promise to be a leader who serves the entire Republican Conference.”
The leadership election marks a monumental changing of the guard. McConnell, who announced his retirement from leadership in February, is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, having risen to the post in 2007.
Each of the candidates had signaled a break in McConnell’s leadership style, promising more member input and a return to regular order, but Thune was viewed as the candidate most aligned with McConnell and had a slight advantage as his deputy.
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None of the three contenders won enough support on the first ballot, forcing a second round that eliminated Scott, the leader of the conference’s right flank. From there, Thune was able to clinch an outright majority, ending Cornyn’s hopes for a return to the Senate’s leadership ranks.
In 2018, Cornyn was term-limited out of the whip job Thune holds today.
“John Thune’s election is a clear endorsement of a consummate leader,” McConnell said in a statement after the vote. “The confidence our colleagues have placed in John’s legislative experience and political skill is well deserved.”
The Senate’s Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), struck a collegial note as he urged compromise in the new Congress.
“I look forward to working with him,” Schumer said of Thune in a speech from the Senate floor. “We’ve done many bipartisan things here in the Senate together, and I hope that continues.”
Elsewhere on the ballot, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) won a contested race for conference chair, the No. 3 leadership post. He beat out Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), the chairwoman of the Republican Policy Committee, in a 35-18 vote, ending her bid to move up the leadership ranks.
The remaining Senate GOP leadership races were decided quickly as the candidates ran unopposed.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) will serve as majority whip, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) will be the GOP Senate policy chairwoman, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) will be conference vice chairman, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) will run the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Thune’s election was far from a guarantee. For months, he engaged in a fundraising battle to prove he could rival Cornyn’s Texas donor network. Each raised $33 million by the end of the cycle.
Meanwhile, he had to fend off the prospect of President-elect Donald Trump making a late endorsement in the race, with Scott marshaling prominent MAGA allies, including X CEO Elon Musk, to lobby on his behalf.
That endorsement did not materialize, keeping Thune’s whip count intact. But the conference’s conservatives presented a third wild card. Led by Scott, they demanded reforms to the way the Senate operates in exchange for their vote.
Cornyn signaled a greater willingness to offer concessions, including term limits and a legislative process driven by committees, not so-called “backroom deals,” but he was unable to attract enough support within the conference to defeat Thune on Wednesday.
Thune will take over from McConnell at the start of the new Congress, when Republicans are likely to enjoy unified control over Washington.
Trump visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday, huddling with House Republicans as they prepare to pass tax legislation and other legislative priorities come January 2025. It is not yet clear whether Thune will meet with Trump while he is in town.
Thune has a rocky past with Trump that dates back to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. At the time, he called Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results “inexcusable.”
The criticism prompted Trump to seek, unsuccessfully, a primary challenger in Thune’s 2022 reelection campaign. Later, Thune would oppose Trump’s third run for president, endorsing Tim Scott’s primary run instead.
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But Thune has attempted to smooth over tensions with Trump since then, looking to avoid a repeat of McConnell’s own sour relationship with Trump. As he locked up the presidential nomination, Thune endorsed Trump and has fundraised on his behalf.
McConnell, who will continue as a rank-and-file member in the Senate, has offered Trump more begrudging support.
