 "US Senate Republicans pick insider John Thune as next leader, reject Trump loyalist push")
Republican senators have elected a well-regarded insider John Thune of South Dakota as their new leader, bypassing calls from Trump supporters for a loyalist.
Thune, who will succeed Mitch McConnell, is currently the minority whip and will become the Senate’s majority leader in January after newly elected GOP lawmakers take their seats and give the party control of the chamber, reported The Guardian.
McConnell, who has led Senate Republicans since 2007, played a key role in opposing Barack Obama and supporting Donald Trump during his first term. He was instrumental in shaping the Supreme Court’s conservative majority by blocking Obama’s judicial nominations and overseeing the confirmation of three of Trump’s appointees.
McConnell chose not to seek re-election as Senate leader but will remain in office through 2026.
Also read: Biden and Trump meet in Oval office, pledge smooth transition of power
Thune’s victory in a three-way race signals the Senate may maintain some independence from Trump next year, as Republicans are set to control both the White House and likely both chambers of Congress.
With at least 52 seats in the Senate and a strong chance to retain the House majority, the GOP is poised to dominate.
Thune, 63, is seen as an even-tempered institutionalist and seasoned legislator who has close relationships with many of his fellow Republicans. He currently serves as the chamber’s No. 2 Republican.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThune prevailed over Senator John Cornyn of Texas, another long-serving institutionalist, and Rick Scott of Florida, a close ally of Trump who was backed by influential outsiders like billionaire Elon Musk and conservative commentator Sean Hannity.
That made the normally clubby election an early test of Senate independence under Trump, who has not endorsed a candidate but called on the next Republican leader to give him leeway to bypass the normal system of hearings and votes to approve Cabinet nominees. All three contenders quickly signaled their openness to the idea.
Some of Trump’s loudest supporters had expressed concern that Thune and Cornyn, who had both worked closely with McConnell, might lack the willingness to deliver on some of Trump’s campaign promises. Both have served for two decades and delivered major legislation and helped elect other Republicans, reported Reuters.
Scott, first elected in 2018, is a hardline conservative who previously served two terms as Florida governor.
“Without Rick Scott, the entire Trump reform agenda wobbly,” Trump adviser Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a post on X before the vote.
Senate Republicans resisted that pressure. The job of majority leader, they said, requires someone who has spent time building trust and support within the caucus.
“I don’t think it’s worth the president using the political capital that he has to weigh in on the race,” Reuters quoted Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Thune supporter, as saying.
With inputs from agencies
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