Republican South Dakota Sen. John Thune won a three-way race to lead Senate Republicans’ 53-seat majority for the first two years of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
Thune defeated Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn in the second round of voting, with 29 senators supporting Thune and 24 voting for Cornyn. The vote was conducted by secret ballot and required the winning candidate to surpass a 27-vote threshold. Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida received 13 votes in the first round — the least amount among the three hopefuls — and was eliminated before the second round of voting.
Many influential figures in Trump’s orbit, including Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., backed Scott’s bid to lead Senate Republicans as a “reform-minded” candidate who was more closely aligned with Trump’s grassroots conservative movement.
“Rick Scott’s approach is also the most closely aligned with and focused on helping President Trump enact his legislative agenda, which is supported by more than 75 million American voters,” Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee wrote on X Tuesday night.
Thune and Cornyn, who both served in leadership with McConnell during several consecutive Congresses, were seen as less likely to agree to major rule changes that could further empower individual senators, in line with what many saw as the current establishment.
Thune’s ascension to Senate Majority Leader ends Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s 17-year tenure as the top-ranking Republican in the Senate. Thune, currently the second most powerful Republican in the Senate, has served as the Senate Republican whip since 2019 and is in his fourth Senate term.
Scott netted eight endorsements, including Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ted Cruz of Texas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Marco Rubio of Florida.
Four senators publicly backed Thune, including Republican Sens. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines, the current NRSC head, also supported Thune’s candidacy, Punchbowl News reported.
The only Republican senator to publicly endorse Cornyn’s bid was Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.
Trump did not back a candidate for Senate Republican leader, but he urged all three leadership hopefuls to agree to recess appointments, which would let Trump nominees bypass Senate confirmation.
“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump wrote on X on Nov. 10. “Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY! Additionally, no Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU!”
All three candidates seeking to replace McConnell were receptive to Trump’s request.
“We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s nominees in place as soon as possible, & all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments. We cannot let Schumer and Senate Dems block the will of the American people,” Thune wrote on X on Nov. 10.
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