Thune elected to replace McConnell as next Senate GOP leader

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Thune on Wednesday was elected the next Senate majority leader, as Republicans are set to take over the chamber in January — and with a demanding President-elect Donald Trump poised to return to power.

Having defeated Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the fourth-term South Dakotan will replace Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in January as the chamber’s top Republican. McConnell had held the top GOP spot since taking his party’s leadership reins in early 2007, making him minority leader in six congresses and majority leader in three congresses.

Thune defeated Cornyn 29-24 on the day’s second ballot, with Scott eliminated from contention after the first ballot, according to a source inside the Capitol’s Old Senate Chamber, where Republicans chose their next leader.

Trump did not formally endorse a Senate leader candidate, but Elon Musk, the tech giant who has become one of his advisers, did so on Sunday. He backed Scott. Trump addressed House Republicans Wednesday morning at a hotel near the Capitol, but multiple members said he did not address the Senate GOP leader race.

Ideologically, Scott was considered closest to Trump. Both Thune and Cornyn publicly wanted someone else to be the Republican presidential nominee, but quickly got behind Trump earlier this year when it became clear he would again cruise to the nomination.

In a lighter moment, Speaker Mike Johnnson, R-La., was asked on Tuesday if he had a favorite candidate for Senate majority leader. “They’re all my favorite,” he quipped, wisely staying out of the matter. House and Senate leaders long have done so, though they sometimes question the tactics the eventual leader of the other chamber employs.

The new Senate GOP leader will take over the conference on Jan. 3, when the 119th Congress convenes. Trump will put GOP lawmakers under intense pressure to quickly act on his agenda, including extending the 2017 tax cuts.

“I’m making a point to talk to the voters, which are the members of the conference,” Cornyn told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday night.

Senate Republicans held their closed-door election with the prospect of having Trump to deal with over the next four years.

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, who backed Thune on the first ballot, said Tuesday after a candidate forum that Trump had handled the lead-up to the secret ballot election well. When Trump met with members of Congress ahead of the election, he said he noticed Trump was taking Capitol Hill seriously.

“He talked about working together, getting Republicans elected. It wasn’t just about him getting elected, it was about getting senators and members of Congress elected. That really said to me, he is really going to work to find a way to get things done with the Senate and with the House, and I think we’ve seen the same thing in the leadership issue. I think he’s really taken a thoughtful approach here.”

The incoming president also put down some stipulations in a post on social media, signaling he intends to have a hands-on approach to Congress during his second term.

Trump on Sunday said the next Senate majority leader, which will be a Republican, must endorse the return of recess appointments.

Scott was the first of the GOP leader candidates to respond, firing off his own tweet a short time later “100%” supporting it. Thune, in a statement sent to Roll Call, later also endorsed the idea. Cornyn vowed to keep the Senate in session to clear Trump’s nominations, while also noting a president’s power to make recess appointments.

McConnell is not retiring. Instead, he reportedly wants to take a senior role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, specifically: becoming the chairman of its Defense subcommittee.

“I’m going to concentrate on defense and foreign policy. I think this is the most dangerous time since right before World War II,” he told reporters last week. McConnell even hinted he might be willing to talk to reporters about news of the day, something he has not done regularly in Senate hallways for some time.

“I’m hoping, as a former leader, you guys will care what I think,” he said, opening the door to fielding questions about Trump, with whom he has clashed over the years.