Three sources with knowledge of the vote said Senate Republicans selected Senator John Thune of South Dakota to be their leader in the next Congress. Thune will replace longtime leader Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down after a record 18 years.
In the just-concluded election, the Senate Republican whip contested against two other senators: John Cornyn of Texas, a former whip, and Rick Scott of Florida, a candidate seen as an underdog but went on to win the election.
Thune’s first victory in the election came in 2004 when he was first elected. He has worked his way into leadership. He had previously served as the chair of the Republican conference. He held another strategic leadership position by chairing the Commerce Committee before holding the lower leadership position of whip in 2019.
Thune ran his campaign with the conviction that he would carry out Trump’s agenda if elected. However, it was disclosed that the two individuals with the same ideology had not seen eye to eye. Thune rejected Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Thune said in a statement after the decision that he was extremely honoured to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th Congress. He further stated that he was beyond proud of the work they have done to secure our majority and the White House. Thune further disclosed that the Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and the work starts today.
It was disclosed that the senators had met in secret today and cast their votes by secret ballots, restricting a battle that divided the party and removed Scott, one of the candidates that Trump’s MAGA allies have backed. The candidate was contesting and supported by the allies against two old-time senators with deep knowledge and relationships of the body.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the vote said the first round of balloting ended in votes of 23 for Thune, 15 for Cornyn, and 13 for Scott, resulting in Scott’s elimination. On the second ballot, the race came down to Thune and Cornyn, and Thune won by a vote of 29 to 24, three sources told NBC News.
With the concluded election, Thune will now take the leadership of the Senate for the next two years after the election conducted weeks ago, which gave the Republicans the majority of the house. He will replace Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, stepping down after an 18-year tenure that made him the longest-serving leader in Senate history.
Thune wrote in an op-ed for FoxNews.com that as Congress returns to Washington, they must prepare the Senate to advance Trump’s agenda legislatively and ensure that the president-elect can hit the ground running with his appointees confirmed as soon as possible. He further noted that the Senate Republican majority will work with President Trump to ensure the Senate calendar allows him to confirm his nominees and pass their shared agenda as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Senate Republicans held a candidate forum Tuesday evening after Congress returned from a long recess to hear from all three candidates. The secret voting election began Wednesday morning, with incumbent and newly elected senators able to vote. Only a handful of members said how they would vote in advance, with most holding their cards close to the vest.
Thune and Cornyn both won their first victory during George W. Bush’s presidency. It has been learnt that they both hail from the institutionalist wing of the GOP. Both have long-standing relationships within the conference and can claim to be next in line, with each serving as the No. 2 Republican for six years.
Cramer disclosed that before the vote, Sen. Kevin Cramer said he supported Thune but admitted there’s minimal distinction between him and Cornyn. Cramer further stated that although Cornyn told him a day before that people were saying they’re a mirror image of each other. I think John Thune would take offence to that, he said.
Colleagues considered Scott, elected in 2018, a more divisive figure. He has been a spoken critic of McConnell for years and aligned himself solidly with the party’s MAGA attachment. He had reserved some acceptance for the job from Trump allies, including right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson, billionaire benefactor Elon Musk, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The adoption of the secret ballot prevented Trump from speaking on his preferred candidate for the election. Secret voting makes it difficult for Trump to know who voted against his preferred candidate, which he later didn’t announce.
The three candidates who contested had promised to carry out Trump’s agenda, a statement which was believed to be an agreement between them. Thune and Cornyn also lauded their fundraising prowess and contributions to help coworkers triumph in elections.
In a letter to fellow Senate Republicans on Tuesday, Cornyn wrote, “To Make America Great Again, we must Make the Senate Work Again. He also promised to decentralize power.
The letter further urged the elected individuals to be steadfast as they will einvest in a Senate committee process to drive an aggressive legislative agenda that secures the borders and reduce the spending that is done at the federal level, boosts the economy, unleashes the nation’s energy potential, and reverses bad Biden-Harris policies. The letter further stated that the starting position of the legislation is considered on the floor, which will open an amendment process managed by the committee chairs to allow for amendments and increase debate.
As part of the leadership shakeup, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming was elected by acclamation to the No. 2 post of majority whip after running unopposed. Sennator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa will compete for the No. 3 slot.
When asked about Cotton’s team’s exuding confidence that he has the votes, Ernst said she was not so sure. He further stated that Kamaka Harris had thought that she had the votes, too.
