Senate Republicans have chosen Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as the new majority leader, ushering in a new era of leadership in the Senate for President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
The Wednesday vote, conducted by secret ballot, pitted Thune, the current GOP whip, against former whip Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. All three ran on executing Trump’s agenda.
Scott lost in the first round of voting. The final tally was 29 for Thune and 24 for Cornyn, NBC News reported.
Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming was elected as GOP whip, his spokesperson told NBC News. He ran for the No. 2 spot unopposed.
Thune will serve as majority leader for the next two years. His election also formally marks the end of Mitch McConnell’s 18-year reign over the Republican caucus in the Senate.
Thune and Cornyn, both institutionalists, ran largely traditional campaigns in which they touted their experience and fundraising prowess to their colleagues. Both men opposed Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, but their respective relationships with the president-elect have since gotten cozier.
By contrast, Scott, a fierce MAGA ally, appealed to the party’s extremist elements outside of the Senate, winning endorsements from the likes of billionaire Elon Musk, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and far-right agitator Laura Loomer. But within the Senate, Scott failed to gain significant support among his colleagues, making him a long-shot candidate.








