Current Republican Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) will be the next Senate Majority Leader, becoming the successor to longest-serving Republican leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
“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.”
Thune was challenged by two of his colleagues, former Republican Whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and MAGA loyalist Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who is still serving his first term in the Senate and who had, in recent weeks, become a favorite for the leadership position among online MAGA personalities, like Elon Musk and Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Trump did not personally endorse anyone for the leadership position, but he has been vocal in recent days about wanting whoever is selected as Republican leader to speed up the confirmations of his nominees.
The Senate Republican conference held an internal, closed ballot vote on Wednesday with two rounds of voting.
Scott reportedly only received 13 votes in the first round, eliminating him from the race. Meanwhile Thune received 23 votes and Cornyn 15 votes, according to several reports.
Trump supporters, especially those most vocal on online platforms, had rallied for Scott ahead of the internal election. But while Scott received some support internally, it was not expected that he would get enough votes for the position, as he was the outsider in the race, having never been a part of the Republican leadership.
The second round of votes was between Thune and Cornyn, with Thune reportedly coming out on top 29-24.
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