Thune Elected Senate Majority Leader

By The Hill
Posted on 11/13/24 | News Source: The Hill

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has been elected Senate majority leader, setting the stage for him to replace retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has held the top Senate GOP leadership job for the past 18 years.

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, according to two sources familiar.

Thune led after the first ballot. He won 25 votes while Cornyn won 15 votes and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) collected 13 votes. 

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.

His main competition for the past eight months of the race has been Cornyn, a formidable fundraiser, who served as Senate Republican whip from 2013 to 2019.