Washington — Senate Republicans are assembly Wednesday to elect a brand new chief to constitute the convention after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — the longest serving chief within the Senate historical past — opted to step down from the submit.
Assembly in the back of closed doorways on Wednesday morning, the Republican senators are casting secret ballots to elect their new management, as 3 applicants vie for Senate Republican chief, with President-elect Donald Trump’s shadow looming over the race.
Whip John Thune of South Dakota, former Whip John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida are gunning for the highest function, having labored in the back of the scenes for months to win give a boost to from their colleagues. However the management race took on new which means following the 2024 elections, which noticed Republicans take keep watch over of the Senate for the 119th Congress. With Trump’s go back to the White Space subsequent 12 months, and the likelihood that Republicans retain keep watch over of the Space, the GOP can have a unified govt in Washington, teeing up a protracted listing of legislative priorities for the brand new Senate chief to paintings on with Trump.
Regardless that Trump hasn’t made an endorsement within the management race, he looms massive over the competition, weighing in with demands for the brand new chief to hurry the affirmation of his nominees.
Even with no Trump endorsement, his MAGA base of supporters have made transparent who they choose within the race, launching a vocal social media marketing campaign for Scott as chief in fresh days and caution that Cornyn and Thune would threaten Trump’s schedule.
Scott has been regarded as the underdog within the race, going through Thune and Cornyn, who each have years of revel in in management — however who’ve additionally been much less dependable supporters of Trump. The Florida Republican challenged McConnell for the function in 2022, when he earned simply 10 votes. Whether or not Scott’s coalition grows within the wake of Trump’s victory continues to be noticed.
Vice President-elect and Ohio Sen. JD Vance could also be eligible to vote as a result of he’ll be a member of the 119th Congress, albeit in short, ahead of Inauguration Day.
A candidate wishes a majority of the convention, or 27 votes, to develop into chief. If no candidate secures a majority at the first poll, the bottom vote-getter shall be dropped from the listing within the subsequent spherical.
Out of doors of the highest submit, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the GOP convention chair who was once additionally to begin with at the shortlist for chief, introduced he would as an alternative search the whip place. And Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is looking for to chair the GOP marketing campaign arm, the Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee.
