Sen. John Thune of South Dakota has won the Republican Party leadership race in the U.S. Senate, defeating Texas Sen. John Cornyn in the runoff, according to three sources in the voting room.
The election ended 29 to 24.
Republicans won control of the Senate after the 2024 election.
In a Monday op-ed on the Fox News website, Thune, defending the leadership role, called on fellow Republicans to prioritize supporting Trump’s agenda, including the president-elect’s plans to crack down on immigration, reduce prices, increase domestic energy production and pass tax legislation.
“We cannot afford to take this coalition [de eleitores] as guaranteed. If we don’t deliver on President Trump’s priorities, we will lose their support,” Thune wrote.
“They trusted us with their votes. Now we have to roll up our sleeves and start working”, he highlighted.
By choosing Thune, Republicans elevate a leader associated with the establishment party instead of Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who has been defended in recent days by several prominent Trump allies, including Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tucker Carlson.
The election was conducted by secret ballot, which may have allowed Republicans wary of upsetting Trump’s most ardent supporters some political cover.
John Thune will officially become Republican majority leader when the new Senate is sworn in on Jan. 3, 2025. Mitch McConnell, who has led Senate Republicans since 2007, announced in February that he would step down from the leadership role this year.
Learn more about John Thune
Thune, 63, has had a complicated relationship with the president-elect. He called on Trump to withdraw from the 2016 election following the “Access Hollywood” scandal. Yet at the time, he said he still planned to vote for Trump.
He also condemned Trump’s actions regarding the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, highlighting that they are indefensible.
Still, when the businessman faced a vote in the Senate after his impeachment over the case, Thune sided with McConnell and the majority of the Republican caucus in voting “not guilty.”
Trump did not forget the offense, calling on South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to mount a “primary challenge” against Thune in 2022, even though she objected.
Thune overwhelmingly won the primary vote that year and went on to victory in the general election.
In May 2023, he supported Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina in the Republican presidential primary. But as it became clear that Trump would win the Republican Party’s nomination for the third time in a row, Thune sought to mend relations with the former president.
Thune met with Trump at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago, Florida, estate in March, and they have spoken several times since then, the outlet reported. CNN previously.
The senator also met with the chairmen of his transition team, Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, in Washington earlier this month, a person familiar with the matter said.
John Thune was first elected to the Senate in 2004, beating Senator Tom Daschle, who was then the incumbent Democratic leader, by surprise.
*Zachary B. Wolf of CNN, contributed to this report
This content was originally published in John Thune wins race for Republican Party leadership in the US Senate on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
