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Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as their leader for the next Congress, succeeding Mitch McConnell, who steps down after 18 years.
Thune, the current Senate Republican whip, competed against two other candidates: John Cornyn of Texas, a former whip, and Rick Scott of Florida, who recently won a second term.
Elected to the Senate in 2004, Thune steadily rose through leadership roles, including Republican conference chair and Commerce Committee chair, before becoming whip in 2019. He campaigned for Senate leader on a platform supporting President-elect Trump’s agenda, despite previously rejecting Trump’s claims of a stolen 2020 election.
“I am extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th Congress, and I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House,” Thune said in a statement. “This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today.”
Honored to serve as the next U.S. Senate majority leader. pic.twitter.com/zq9XLrPDUr
— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) November 13, 2024
Senate Republicans met privately Wednesday, voting by secret ballot in a leadership race that saw Trump-aligned Rick Scott challenge seasoned senators Thune and Cornyn. In the first round, Thune led with 23 votes, followed by Cornyn with 15, and Scott with 13, eliminating Scott. Thune then won the final round against Cornyn, 29 to 24, sources told NBC News. Thune will serve as majority leader for two years, succeeding Mitch McConnell, who steps down after 18 years as the longest-serving Senate leader.
“As Congress returns to Washington, we 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,” Thune wrote in an op-ed for FoxNews.com. “The Senate Republican majority will work with President Trump to ensure the Senate calendar allows us to confirm his nominees and pass our shared agenda as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”
BREAKING: Senator Thune elected Senate Majority Leader in secret vote.
The only reason they would do it in secret is if they have something to hide.
We should have transparency from the people we elected to represent us. pic.twitter.com/U5MejAr4yB
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 13, 2024
Elected in 2018, Scott has long criticized McConnell and aligned himself with the MAGA wing, gaining endorsements from Trump allies like Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
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