John Thune has been elected Senate Republican leader to usher in Donald Trump’s ambitious GOP 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 would be stepping down from the leadership role.
He successfully fended off a left-field challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida who had the backing of Trump’s trusted advisor billionaire Elon Musk and other MAGA faithful.
Thune and Trump have had a complicated relationship over the years and many in the president-elect’s orbit didn’t want him in charge of the MAGA agenda.
He called on Trump to exit the 2016 presidential race after the infamous Access Hollywood tape was leaked and was critical of his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
But in recent months, Thune has made his support for Trump known including by becoming one of the first to endorse him during the primary and the two have a better relationship.
Their communication will be critical as Thune will be tasked with leading all of Trump’s Cabinet picks through the Senate confirmation process.
McConnell was the longest-serving GOP leader in Senate history with a roughly 18-year tenure. But his yearslong feud with Trump put him at odds with many in the GOP who wanted a MAGA leader going into the president-elect’s second term.
He also suffered several health scares following a fall last year leading to bizarre ‘freezing episodes’ that sparked concerns.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune will become Senate Republican leader in January
The South Dakota senator, who currently serves as the number two Republican in Senate leadership, said he is ‘honored to have earn the support’ of his colleagues.
He’s been in the Senate since 2005 and is seen as an institutionalist, garnering support from key supporters in the chamber.
Thune won the leadership election over former Whip Sen. John Cornyn, Texas, in a second-round ballot resulting in a 29-24 vote.
It’s a clear sign that the upper chamber is aligning with its traditional seniority structure.
Thune said that he along with the rest of the GOP leadership team will ‘enact President Trump’s agenda’ and ‘deliver’ on his priorities.
Those include enforcing strict border security laws, streamlining the ‘bureaucratic machine’ and restoring American energy dominance.
‘We’ll make sure that the President and his team have tools and support that they need to enforce border security laws and to remove the violent criminals who are wreaking havoc in every one of our states.’
‘I want to thank my colleagues who placed their faith in me to serve as leader, and those who were supporting another candidate promised to be a leader who serves the entire Republican Congress.’
Thune went on to say he will do everything to process Trump’s appointments quickly, but still wants confirmation hearings.
‘Well, what we’re going to do is make sure that we are processing his nominees in a way that gets them into those positions so we can implement this agenda. How that happens remains to be seen. Obviously, we want to make sure our committees have confirmation hearings.’
Joining Thune in leadership are Assistant Majority Leader: John Barrasso, Wyoming, Conference Chair Tom Cotton, Arkansas, Policy Committee Chair Shelly Moore Capito, West Virginia, and Conference Vice Chair: James Lankford, Oklahoma.
The incoming National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman is Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who will be tasked with leading Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.
‘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 said in a statement after his victory.
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 his Cabinet picks through at a rapid pace.
‘Any Republican Senator seeking a leadership position must agree to Recess Appointments in the Senate,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘We can’t wait years for confirmations—positions need to be filled immediately.’
‘This is what they stalled four years ago, and it won’t happen again. Additionally, no judges should be approved during this period, as Democrats try to push through their judges while Republicans fight over leadership.’
Thune posted that the Senate ‘must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s nominees in place as soon as possible.’
Thune fended off a left-field challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida who had the backing of Trump’s trusted advisor billionaire Elon Musk and other MAGA faithful.
He said that ‘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 posted on X.
Musk threw his support behind Scott, along with other MAGA faithful including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Even Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, backed Scott despite Cornyn being the other senator from their shared state.
Thune won the leadership election over former Whip Sen. John Cornyn, Texas , in a second-round ballot resulting in a 29-24 vote
Scott was seen as the most pro-Trump candidate, garnering support from key supporters in the president-elect’s circle like Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr. before the vote.
Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson notably threw his weight behind the Florida senator while throwing two other candidates under the bus.
‘Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on. One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s,’ Carlson said this week.
‘The election is Wednesday, it’s by secret ballot, and it will determine whether or not the new administration succeeds,’ he continued. ‘Rick Scott of Florida is the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump.’
Scott thanked his ‘colleagues and the millions of Americans’ who supported his run and ‘made their voices heard to demand change.’
‘We will never stop fighting to turn our country around, advance President Trump’s agenda & Make America Great Again,’ he posted on X.
Some lawmakers complained about the outside pressure and candidate advocacy.
McConnell was the longest-serving GOP leader in Senate history with a roughly 18-year tenure
Trump visited House Republicans on Wednesday before the Senate votes started
The senators were sequestered in the Old Senate Chamber - a small ceremonial portion of the Capitol typically reserved for tours - for the private election that required 27 votes for victory.
Thune will soon take control of a commanding 53-47 GOP majority to enact Trump's top legislative priorities.
Likeminded Speaker Mike Johnson in the Republican-controlled House come January, giving conservatives unbridled control.