Sometimes, South Dakota is just a little bit bigger than Texas.
Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, coasted past Texas Sen. John Cornyn to become Senate Majority Leader to replace longtime GOP stalwart Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Cornyn made a contest of it, requiring two rounds of voting among Senate Republicans.
Florida’s Rick Scott finished third but voiced positivity on the party’s position.
“I may have lost the vote, but I am optimistic,” Scott said. “I ran for leader with one mission: to fundamentally change how the Senate operates and upend the status quo so we can actually start representing the voters who put us here. When I announced, I said that we are in a moment where we need dramatic change. The voters confirmed that last week when they elected President Trump and Republicans took the majority in both chambers of Congress with a clear mandate.”
The Washington Times has the story:
Sen. John Thune on Wednesday won a three-way race among Republicans to become the new Senate majority leader in the next Congress.
The South Dakota Republican, 63, beat Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida for the top Senate GOP leadership post. He replaces 82-year-old Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who decided earlier this year to step down from leadership after a record-breaking 18 years serving as GOP leader.
“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,” Mr. Thune said in a statement. “This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today.”
Mr. Thune will be moving up from his current No. 2 spot in leadership as Senate Republican whip. He has also previously served in lower-level leadership roles and as chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
He was first elected to serve in the House in 1996, serving three terms. He lost his first Senate race in 2002 before a historic win in 2004, when he ousted then-Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.
It took two ballots to decide the race, as Mr. Thune failed to secure a majority on the first ballot of the 53 returning and newly elected Republican senators who will serve in the majority in the next Congress.
Mr. Scott, a vocal ally of President-elect Donald Trump, had the most public endorsements from senators heading into the election but was the lowest vote-getter on the first ballot and was dropped from contention for the second ballot.
Mr. Thune won with 29 votes on second ballot, compared to 24 for Mr. Cornyn.
The 53 Republicans voting include senators returning in the next Congress and newly elected Republicans who will not be sworn in until January. Retiring senators cannot vote but Vice President-elect J.D. Vance was able to; he will serve as president of the Senate in his new role and can vote to break any ties on the floor.
Two of the 53 Republicans did not vote on the first ballot, in which Mr. Thune had 23 votes, Mr. Cornyn had 15 and Mr. Scott had 13 votes.
Mr. Scott had the support of the grassroots MAGA movement and outside endorsements from top Trump surrogates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Mr. Trump did not weigh in.
“I may have lost the vote, but I am optimistic,” Mr. Scott said. “I ran for leader with one mission: to fundamentally change how the Senate operates and upend the status quo so we can actually start representing the voters who put us here. When I announced, I said that we are in a moment where we need dramatic change. The voters confirmed that last week when they elected President Trump and Republicans took the majority in both chambers of Congress with a clear mandate.”
He said, “I want to thank my friend President Trump and the support I received from so many Americans from every corner of our country. I am truly humbled by the millions of Americans who supported my run, and the many patriots who made their voices heard to demand change. While it isn’t the result we hoped for, I will do everything possible to make sure John Thune is successful in accomplishing President Trump’s agenda. I would also like to thank John Cornyn for running a great race.”