Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) as their new leader, putting him on track to become Senate majority leader next year.
Conducted by secret ballot in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, the vote was between Thune, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
Thune won in the second round of balloting, beating Cornyn 29 to 24 after Scott was eliminated in the first round.
The South Dakota senator will be the first new GOP Senate leader since Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took over the role in 2007. McConnell, who has two more years left in his seventh term, is the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history.
While the Senate Republicans were busy choosing their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump was across town meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss transition plans together.
“Politics is tough, and in many cases not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today. A transition that’s so smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get,” Trump said, speaking from the Oval Office with Biden next to him.
Trump has made it clear he intends to move at lightning speed to achieve the goals he has laid out for his second administration. The president-elect signaled to Republicans in the Senate over the weekend that he expects them to agree to recess appointments, which would enable him to appoint officials even when the Senate is in recess.
“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 posted on Sunday on his Truth Social platform.
Trump did not formally endorse anyone for Senate leader.
Scott received public endorsements from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Bill Haggerty (R-Tenn.), and Elon Musk, the newly announced head of the Department of Government Efficiency, who posted “Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader!” on Sunday on his X social media platform.
Thune put out a statement on X shortly after winning the vote for majority leader.
“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. This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today,” Thune wrote.