After Trump Landslide, GOP Senate Votes For Business As Usual In Leadership Race
Republicans elected a reincarnation of retiring GOP Senate chief Mitch McConnell to lead the upper chamber on Wednesday following former President Donald Trump’s overwhelming win last week.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota was promoted from Republican Senate whip to majority leader on the second secret ballot with 29 votes in a contest against Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who received 24. The two lawmakers edged out a challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who only captured three more votes for his candidacy for leader compared to his previous challenge to McConnell in 2022. Scott had run two years ago after McConnell funneled scarce campaign resources to win safe seats in the midterms while competitive candidates in key states were stripped of funding over their opposition to the incumbent Senate chief.
“This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today,” Thune said.
The South Dakota Republican, however, is effectively Mitch McConnell-lite, having acted as a top McConnell deputy in Senate leadership by championing unlimited funding to Ukraine and displaying antagonism toward bold activism from effective colleagues. In May, Thune was among several GOP senators who embraced one of the Democrats’ latest hoaxes against the Supreme Court when The New York Times painted Justice Samuel Alito as an extremist for supposedly flying an American flag in distress.
“I don’t know how you explain that,” Thune said of the fabricated flag controversy wherein Alito’s wife flew a flag upside down at the couple’s residence. (Read more from “After Trump Landslide, GOP Senate Votes For Business As Usual In Leadership Race” HERE)
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
