A contentious race among Republicans for U.S. Senate majority leader has resulted in a 29-24 win for South Dakota Sen. John Thune and a loss for Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.
Florida’s Sen. Rick Scott, a popular candidate with Trump allies, lost the race after the first ballot with 13 votes.
Cornyn was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and Thune was first elected in 2005. Thune will replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, who announced he would be stepping down from the role earlier this year.
The three majority leader candidates were voted on via secret ballot by Republican senators.
Scott’s supporters argued he was the candidate that would best facilitate the President-elect’s agenda and speed up the Senate confirmation process for Trump administration nominees.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Trump ally and potential pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, posted “Without Rick Scott, the entire Trump reform agenda wobbly.”
This morning, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) dispelled rumors that he would vote for Thune or Cornyn, posting that he would vote for Rick Scott as he did in 2022.
“I helped lead the charge for Rick against McConnell & I’m proud to stand with him again,” Cruz wrote on X.
Trump did not publicly endorse any of the three candidates.
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