John Thune elected to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader



The Republican Senate conference elected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota on Wednesday to succeed retiring Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Thune, who was running against Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida, won with 29 of the 53 Republican Senate votes in the second round of votes cast via secret ballot.

Scott also became the focal point of an online pressure campaign over the weekend, with prominent personalities like Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk, and Glenn Beck expressing support for the MAGA ally.

"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," Thune said in a statement Wednesday. "This Republican team is united behind President Trump's agenda, and our work starts today."

Scott was eliminated in the first round, bringing in just 13 votes, while Cornyn held 15 and Thune won 23. Scott's votes mostly went to Cornyn in the second round, who won 24 votes, while Thune secured 29.

Leading up to the race, Scott was the most publicly endorsed candidate.

In the past 24 hours, Scott secured three last-minute endorsements from Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Mike Lee of Utah. Scott had also been endorsed by GOP Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Marco Rubio of Florida, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

Scott also became the focal point of an online pressure campaign over the weekend, with prominent personalities like Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk, and Glenn Beck expressing support for the MAGA ally.

Thune was backed by Republican Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. Cornyn had just one public endorsement, from Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.

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Mike Lee to moderate forum for GOP Senate leadership hopefuls



Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah announced Friday that he will host a members-only forum for GOP senators vying for the leadership position on Nov. 12, less than a day before votes will be cast.

Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, John Thune of South Dakota, and John Cornyn of Texas have all agreed to the forum, according to a letter from Lee. The senators will be given the opportunity to make their pitch and present any proposals before the Republican conference.

'I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to what I am sure will be a fruitful discussion.' .

"With the upcoming election for Republican leader, I, as well as many other members of this body, hope to have the opportunity to hear from the candidates, pose questions to them, and have a 'family discussion' on their vision for the future of our Conference," Lee said in the letter.

"Each of the current candidates has agreed to participate, and should another candidate emerge, they will be given the same opportunity," Lee continued.

Scott, Thune, and Cornyn emerged as the three front-runners to replace current Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has led the GOP in the Senate since 2007, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history. McConnell announced his retirement in February this year, saying he would step down from his role following the election.

"In addition to inviting every Republican senator, I will also extend an invitation to all of our new Republican senators-elect and candidates in elections that remain contested at the time of our meeting," Lee said.

"I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to what I am sure will be a fruitful discussion," Lee continued.

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