Sen. John Thune Elected Senate GOP Leader

The Epoch Times Header

The South Dakota lawmaker pledges to push President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointments and legislative proposals.

WASHINGTON—Senate Republicans on Wednesday selected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as their new leader in the 119th Congress, succeeding Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who held the post for nearly two decades.

Thune was elected after two rounds of secret ballot voting in a 29–24 vote against contender Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas.), according to a source familiar with the final ballot count.

The third contender, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), was knocked out after the first ballot.

Republicans will hold a 53–47 majority in the upper chamber of the new Congress that was elected Nov. 5 along with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.

As vice president, Vance, 40, will serve as the Senate’s presiding officer—the third youngest man ever to hold the post.

Cornyn will be seeking his fifth term if he runs for reelection in 2026. Concerns about Cornyn having to campaign for reelection while trying to manage the Senate may have hobbled his bid for Senate majority leader.

McConnell, the outgoing GOP leader, had turned the position into a highly centralized operation that tightly controls the Senate schedule and committee appointments for the majority party and determines the allocation of millions in campaign donations to incumbents and challengers.

Scott had vowed to change the GOP conference’s rules to limit the majority leader to one six-year term, and to open up the legislative process to enable wider discussion and more amendments. He received 11 votes in an unsuccessful challenge to McConnell in 2022.

Scott was also haunted by his chairmanship of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2022 cycle. The GOP lost a Senate seat in a year that was widely expected to produce a “red wave” that would have swept the party back into control of Congress.

In addition, both Thune and Cornyn, by virtue of their seniority, have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions for colleagues, many of whom are still in the Senate. In the insular and highly collegial chamber that is the Senate, such favors linger long in influence on friendships among colleagues.

By Mark Tapscott

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

DOGE and Musk Recover Deleted Computer Files

Elon Musk and his “Geek Squad” discovered an entire terabyte of data was deleted from government servers from the office of the “Institute of Peace”.

A Simple Question

What is a woman? Anyone with an IQ above room temperature can answer the question. Everyone, that is, except Democrats.

Democrats Tesla Takedown is a Proven Astro Turf Movement

Elon Musk and other journalistic leaders like Joe Rogan have been asking the critical question, “Who is behind the organization of these Tesla protests?”

Can Ramaphosa and Trump Come to Terms?

Whether South Africa can quell the hostility emanating from Washington, without compromising on its national priorities, is a formidable test for a country

Maddened Europe

Viable prospects for peaceful settlement of conflict between Moscow and Kyiv exist, but Europe obsesses over threat of incursion onto European territory.

News

US Immigration Services Drops 3rd Gender Option

US immigration services agency officially updated policy to recognize only two biological sexes—male and female—for all immigration-related doc and benefit requests.

Transgender Covenant School Killer Planned Attack for Years, Final Police Report Says

Transgender shooter in mass killing at Christian school in Nashville, TN was an alumnus motivated by a quest for notoriety, final police report concludes.

Supreme Court Reviews South Carolina’s Medicaid Funding Block on Planned Parenthood

U.S. Supreme Court weighed whether South Carolina can stop abortion provider Planned Parenthood from taking part in state’s Medicaid program.

Africa at Crossroads After $13 Billion US Aid Cut, Say Analysts

African countries reacted with shock when the U.S. government recently cut $13 billion in financial assistance.

Trump Admin Ordered to Restore Legal Aid for Unaccompanied Minors

Judge in CA ordered Trump admin to restore funding for nonprofits providing legal services to unaccompanied illegal immigrant children who entered US.

Val Kilmer, Star of ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Batman,’ Dies at 65

Actor Val Kilmer, best known for his roles in movies “Top Gun,” “The Doors,” and “Batman Forever,” died on April 1 at age 65, his daughter confirmed.

Princeton Says Trump Administration Has Suspended Dozens of Research Grants

Trump admin has suspended several dozen federally funded research grants to Princeton University as part of its investigation into campus anti-Semitism.

How Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Are Set to Reshape Global Trade

President Donald Trump is set to announce reciprocal tariffs for all nations starting April 2, the date he has dubbed “Liberation Day.”
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

MAGA Business Central