Thune elected to replace McConnell as next Senate GOP leader

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Thune on Wednesday was elected the next Senate majority leader, as Republicans are set to take over the chamber in January — and with a demanding President-elect Donald Trump poised to return to power.

Having defeated Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the fourth-term South Dakotan will replace Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in January as the chamber’s top Republican. McConnell had held the top GOP spot since taking his party’s leadership reins in early 2007, making him minority leader in six Congresses and majority leader in three Congresses.

Thune defeated Cornyn 29-24 on the day’s second ballot, with Scott eliminated from contention after the first ballot, according to a source inside the Capitol’s Old Senate Chamber, where Republicans chose their next leader.

Senate Republicans also selected Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., as Republican Conference vice chair; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., as Republican Policy Committee chair; John Barrasso, R-Wyo., as assistant majority leader; Tim Scott, R-S.C., as National Republican Senatorial Committee chair; and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., as Republican Conference chair.

At a press conference after the secret ballot votes Wednesday, Thune, flanked by the other members of the incoming leadership team, said Republicans would look to roll back parts of the Biden administration’s agenda while also addressing immigration and energy policies.

“We have a mandate from the American people, a mandate not only to clean up the mess left by the Biden-Harris-Schumer agenda, but also to deliver on President Trump’s priorities,” Thune said.

Trump did not formally endorse a Senate leader candidate, but Elon Musk, the tech giant who has become one of his advisers, did so on Sunday. He backed Scott. Trump addressed House Republicans Wednesday morning at a hotel near the Capitol, but multiple members said he did not address the Senate GOP leader race.

Still, the president-elect congratulated Thune in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform.

“Congratulations to Senator John Thune, the Newly Elected Senate Majority Leader. He moves quickly, and will do an outstanding job,” Trump said.

Ideologically, Scott was considered closest to Trump. Both Thune and Cornyn publicly wanted someone else to be the Republican presidential nominee, but quickly got behind Trump earlier this year when it became clear he would again cruise to the nomination.

In a lighter moment, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was asked on Tuesday if he had a favorite candidate for Senate majority leader. “They’re all my favorite,” he quipped, wisely staying out of the matter. House and Senate leaders long have done so, though they sometimes question the tactics the eventual leader of the other chamber employs.

Both Scott and Cornyn said they would work with Thune to begin enacting Republicans’ agenda.

“We are united and prepared to enact President Trump’s agenda on day one, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to take advantage of the opportunities we will have next year to confirm nominees, address our national debt, extend the Trump tax cuts, and reverse the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous border policies,” Cornyn said in a statement.

Scott said he was “optimistic” and that his entrance into the race and calling for “dramatic change” was reflected by Trump’s win last week.

“I ran for leader with one mission: to fundamentally change how the Senate operates and upend the status quo so we can actually start representing the voters who put us here,” he said. “When I announced, I said that we are in a moment where we need dramatic change. The voters confirmed that last week when they elected President Trump and Republicans took the majority in both chambers of Congress with a clear mandate.”

The new Senate GOP leader will take over the conference on Jan. 3, when the 119th Congress convenes. Trump will put GOP lawmakers under intense pressure to quickly act on his agenda, including extending the 2017 tax cuts.

Senate Republicans held their closed-door election with the prospect of having Trump to deal with over the next four years.

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, who backed Thune on the first ballot, said Tuesday after a candidate forum that Trump had handled the lead-up to the secret ballot election well. When Trump met with members of Congress ahead of the election, he said he noticed Trump was taking Capitol Hill seriously.

“He talked about working together, getting Republicans elected,” Hoeven said. “It wasn’t just about him getting elected, it was about getting senators and members of Congress elected. That really said to me, he is really going to work to find a way to get things done with the Senate and with the House, and I think we’ve seen the same thing in the leadership issue. I think he’s really taken a thoughtful approach here.”

The incoming president also put down some stipulations in a post on social media, signaling he intends to have a hands-on approach to Congress during his second term.

Trump on Sunday said the next Senate majority leader must endorse the return of recess appointments ― and idea that Thune seemed open to.

“What we’re going to do is make sure that we are processing his nominees in a way that gets them into those positions so we can implement his agenda. How that happens remains to be seen,” Thune said at the press conference Wednesday, adding that Senate committees would hold confirmation hearings on Trump’s nominees.

“We’re going to look and explore all options,” he said of efforts to confirm Trump’s Cabinet.

Hours after that Trump said he would nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general ― a pick that seemed to alarm some Republican senators, with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, saying the choice “shocked” her.

McConnell is not retiring. Instead, he reportedly wants to take a senior role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, specifically: becoming the chairman of its Defense subcommittee.

“I’m going to concentrate on defense and foreign policy. I think this is the most dangerous time since right before World War II,” he told reporters last week. McConnell even hinted he might be willing to talk to reporters about news of the day, something he has not done regularly in Senate hallways for some time.

“I’m hoping, as a former leader, you guys will care what I think,” he said, opening the door to fielding questions about Trump, with whom he has clashed over the years.

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(Caitlin Reilly contributed to this report.)

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