WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (KUNA) -- Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has been elected Senate majority leader on Wednesday, setting the stage for him to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has held the top Senate GOP post over the past 18 years, according to The Hill.
Thune has served as Senate Republican whip, the No. 2-ranking position in the Senate GOP leadership, since 2019, and largely managed operation of the Senate floor since McConnell suffered a concussion from a fall in 2023.
Thune beat Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) by a vote of 25 to 24, The Hill - a top US political news website, quoted two sources as saying.
Thune led after the first ballot. He won 25 votes while Cornyn won 15 votes and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) collected 13 votes. "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," he said in a statement after the vote.
"This Republican team is united behind President Trump's agenda, and our work starts today." Thune is well-liked among his Senate Republican colleagues and his affable, humble approach to managing the conference has earned the trust and confidence of fellow GOP senators.
He announced his intention to run for leader shortly after McConnell said in February that he would retire from the GOP leadership at the end of this year.
He pledged to hold regular meetings with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to improve coordination with House Republicans and with Vice President-elect JD Vance to stay in sync with the Trump White House.
He also agreed to host a Senate GOP issues conference in December to discuss strategies for advancing Trump's agenda and to prioritize bringing regular appropriations bills to the floor in the next Congress to avoid the need to pass another omnibus spending package before Christmas.
GOP senators discussed a variety of topics at the Tuesday forum, including strategy for raising the federal debt limit next year, completing the U.S.-Mexico border wall and proposals to eliminate the Department of Education, according to sources who participated in the meeting. (end) rsr.gb