South Dakota Senator and current Republican Whip John Thune was elected to replace Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell as leader of the Senate Republican Conference on Wednesday. The 63-year-old, who has served in the Senate for nearly 20 years, beat out Texas Senator John Cornyn and Florida Senator Rick Scott to secure the top job.
There were two rounds of voting, with Thune getting 23 votes, Cornyn getting 15 and Scott receiving 13. Scott was eliminated after the first round, and Thune proceeded to beat out Cornyn in the second round 29-24.
Thune’s election comes after a campaign to elect Scott by conservative GOP senators including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson. Scott was also endorsed by Donald Trump allies such as Elon Musk and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
President-elect Trump did not make an endorsement in the race. However, he is demanding that the new Republican Senate allow him to make recess appointments, making it easier for his cabinet nominees to bypass Senate confirmation and prevent Democrats from delaying those processes.
Trump has already made several key cabinet nominations, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary and New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He also announced on Tuesday night that he is nominating Army veteran and “Fox and Friends” weekend host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense.
Thune will take over for Mitch McConnell as leader of the Senate Republican Conference on Jan. 3, 2025. President-elect Trump will be inaugurated just over two weeks later on Jan. 20.
This story was written by Sahil Gupta. He can be reached at [email protected].
