In a closed-door vote held on Wednesday, Senate Republicans elected John Thune of South Dakota to replace Senator Mitch McConnel of Kentucky as the leader of the GOP in the upper chamber. McConnel had announced his retirement from the position at the end of the 118th Congress.
Thune will serve as Majority Leader in the 119th Congress, with Republicans set to hold a majority (53-47). Thune was elected to the Senate in 2004 after three terms in the House and has held a number of leadership positions in the Senate, including Senate Republican Whip, Senate Republican Conference Chair, and Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. He will replace McConnel, who has held the position of Senate Republican Leader since 2007, making him the longest serving Senate party leader in history.
Thune defeated Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Senator Rick Scott of Florida in the election, which is held in private. Though President Trump largely stayed out of the race to succeed McConnel, many of his allies, including Elon Musk and Sean Hannity, backed Scott’s bid for leadership.
All three candidates agreed to consider allowing recess appointments, per President-elect Trump’s requests. This move would allow Trump to push through controversial nominees who may not have the support of all Republican Senators.
Additionally, all three candidates also vowed to make changes to the way McConnel ran the chamber, promising a more open amendment process and to solicit more feedback from individual Senators. Ultimately, Thune prevailed over Cornyn by a 29-24 vote, with Scott having been eliminated in the first round.
Thune is viewed as an institutionalist and a skilled legislator who is well-liked by many of his colleagues within the Senate. He has previously drawn Trump’s wrath for refusing to cast doubt on the results of the 2020 election.
The election is seen by many as a sign that the Senate will retain some degree of independence from the incoming Trump Administration, as Senators chose to elevate long-serving insiders Thune and Cornyn over the Scott, a hardliner with close ties to President Trump. Republicans who supported Thune’s election cited his experience and the trust he has built among colleagues as the most important factors in their vote.
At 63, Thune is considered relatively young for leadership, and with his home state of South Dakota being solidly Republican, Thune is well-positioned to hold the position for years to come. Thune will be tasked with leading the narrow Republican majority as they consider wide-ranging legislation to tackle tax cuts, immigration, Ukraine funding, education policy, and other important issues in the 119th Congress.