2024 Senate Republican Conference leadership election

Last updated

2024 Senate Republican Conference leadership election
Seal of the United States Senate.svg
  2022 November 13, 2024

53 Republican Senators-elect in the 119th Congress
27 votes needed for a majority
  John Thune 117th Congress portrait cropped.jpg John Cornyn (cropped).jpg Official Portrait of Senator Rick Scott (cropped).jpg
Candidate John Thune John Cornyn Rick Scott
First ballot23 (43.4%)15 (28.3%)13 (24.5%)
Second ballot29 (54.7%)24 (45.3%)Eliminated

Leader before election

Mitch McConnell

Elected Leader

John Thune

On November 13, 2024, Republican members of the United States Senate held an election to determine the next leader of the Senate Republican Conference, who is poised to become the next majority leader of the United States Senate at the start of the 119th U.S. Congress. Republicans regained control of the chamber in the 2024 election, flipping three Democratic seats and securing a 53–47 majority.

Contents

Incumbent Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who has served in the position since 2007, announced in February 2024 that he would step down at the start of the next session, triggering the election to succeed him. The election was held by secret ballot, with only those who will serve as Republican senators in the 119th Congress allowed to cast a vote.

Senators John Cornyn, Rick Scott and John Thune were the only official candidates on the ballot. After receiving the fewest number of votes on the first ballot, Scott was eliminated. Thune won the election on the second ballot, after receiving a majority of the ballots cast. [1]

Overview

Senator Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Senate Republican Conference since 2007, announced in February 2024 that he would step down from his leadership position following the 2024 United States Senate elections. [2] Those elections resulted in a Republican majority in the Senate, meaning the winner of the leadership election would become Senate majority leader. [3]

The Senate majority leader serves as the chief representative of their party in the Senate, and is considered the most powerful member of the Senate. The Senate's executive and legislative business is also managed and scheduled by the majority leader. [4]

Key issues for the election include the proposed implementation of term-limits for the Senate Republican leader, a proposed expansion of the leaders power over appointments to Senate committees and how to pass president-elect Donald Trump's agenda. [5] [6] [7]

The secret ballot election was held on November 13 by a conference of Republican senators. A candidate must receive a majority of votes cast to become leader; if no candidate receives a majority, the lowest vote getter is eliminated and the senators vote again. [8]

Candidates

The following candidates declared their intent to run.

CandidateStateOther Senate rolesRef.
John Cornyn.jpg
John Cornyn
Texas
(Served since 2002)
Republican Senate Whip
(2013–2019)
Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
(2009-2013)
[9]
Official Portrait of Senator Rick Scott (R-FL).jpg
Rick Scott
Florida
(Served since 2019)
Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
(2021–2023)
[10]
John Thune 117th Congress portrait.jpg
John Thune
South Dakota
(Served since 2005)
Republican Senate Whip
(Since 2019)
Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee
(2015–2019)
Chair of the Senate Republican Conference
(2012–2019)
Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee
(2009–2012)
[11]

Endorsements

John Cornyn
Senators
Rick Scott
Senators
U.S. Representatives
Notable individuals
John Thune
Senators

Results

CandidateFirst BallotSecond Ballot
VotesPercentVotesPercent
John Thune 2343.40%2954.72%
John Cornyn 1528.30%2445.28%
Rick Scott 1324.53%Eliminated
Write-in23.77%00.00%
Total53100.00%53100.00%
Source: Politico [31]

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John Cornyn III is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the senior United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. A member of the Republican Party, he served on the Texas Supreme Court from 1991 to 1997 and as the attorney general of Texas from 1999 to 2002.

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Addison Mitchell McConnell III is an American politician and retired attorney serving since 1985 as the senior United States senator from Kentucky. McConnell is in his seventh Senate term and is longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. He served from 2007 to 2025 as the leader of the Senate Republican Conference, including two stints as minority leader, and was majority leader from 2015 to 2021, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Rounds</span> American businessman and politician (born 1954)

Marion Michael Rounds is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 31st governor of South Dakota from 2003 to 2011.

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John Randolph Thune is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, he has been the Senate majority leader and Senate Republican leader since January 2025. Thune is in his fourth Senate term and is the dean of South Dakota's congressional delegation. From 1997 to 2003, he served three terms as the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Scott</span> American politician (born 1952)

Richard Lynn Scott is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who has been the junior United States senator from Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served two terms as the 45th governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019.

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References

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