John Thune has been chosen as Senate Republican leader to usher in Donald Trump’s ambitious Republican majority in Congress after a private vote Wednesday morning.
Thune, 63, will replace outgoing leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky after the 82-year-old announced he was stepping down from the leadership role.
McConnell was the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history, serving approximately 18 years. But his years-long feud with Trump put him at odds with many in the Republican Party who wanted a MAGA leader for the president-elect’s second term.
He also suffered several health problems after a fall last year that caused strange “frostbite spells” that caused concern.
The South Dakota senator is currently the No. 2 Republican in Senate leadership.
He has been in the Senate since 2005 and is seen as an institutionalist, who has won the support of key supporters in the chamber. But in recent months, he has made his support for Trump known, including becoming one of the first to endorse him during the primaries.
Thune won the leadership election over former Sen. John Cornyn of Texas in a runoff that resulted in a 29-24 vote.
He fended off a left-wing challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who had the backing of Trump’s billionaire trusted adviser Elon Musk and other MAGA stalwarts.
Senate Minority Leader John Thune to become Senate Republican leader in January
It is a clear sign that the upper house is aligning itself with its traditional structure of antiquity.
Trump never made a public endorsement in the race, but he did issue a directive over the weekend that the leader must agree to push through his Cabinet picks at a rapid pace.
“Any Republican senator seeking a leadership position should accept Senate recess appointments,” Trump wrote in Truth Social. “We cannot wait years for confirmations; positions must be filled immediately.”
‘This is what they stopped four years ago and it will not happen again. Furthermore, no judges should be approved during this period, as Democrats try to impose their judges while Republicans fight for leadership.’
Thune quickly posted that the Senate “must act quickly and decisively to get the presidential candidates in place as soon as possible.”
Thune fended off a left-wing challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who was backed by billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk and other MAGA stalwarts.
He said “all options are on the table to make that happen, including appointments during the recess.”
“We cannot allow Schumer and Senate Democrats to block the will of the American people,” Thune posted on X.
Musk endorsed Scott, along with other MAGA faithful, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Even Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, endorsed Scott even though Cornyn was the other senator from their shared state.
Scott was seen as the most pro-Trump candidate, garnering support from key supporters in the president-elect’s circle such as Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr. ahead of the vote.
Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson notably supported the Florida senator while throwing two other candidates under the bus.
‘Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he stood for. “One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose policies are indistinguishable from those of Liz Cheney,” Carlson said this week.
“The elections will be on Wednesday, they will be secret and will determine whether the new administration is successful or not,” he continued. “Florida’s Rick Scott is the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump.”
Some lawmakers complained about outside pressure and defense of candidates.
McConnell was the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history, serving approximately 18 years.
Trump visited House Republicans on Wednesday before voting began in the Senate.
Senators were sequestered in the old Senate Chamber, a small ceremonial part of the Capitol normally reserved for guided tours, for the private election.
Assuming all 53 Republican senators cast their votes, the winner needed to get 27 votes to gain a majority. If that number of votes was not reached in the first contest, a second vote would be held between the two main candidates.
Thune will soon take control of a 53-47 Republican majority to implement Trump’s top legislative priorities.
Like-minded Speaker Mike Johnson in the Republican-controlled House will arrive in January, giving conservatives unbridled control.
This is breaking news and will be updated.