Thune wins secret ballot to become new Senate GOP leader, succeeding McConnell

Senate Minority Whip John Thune will be the new Republican Senate leader and the majority leader of the upper chamber in the new Congress. 

In January, he will succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history. 

Sources told Fox News Digital that no candidate reached a majority on the first secret ballot. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., received the least amount of votes and was knocked out of the race. The second secret ballot was between only Thune and Cornyn. 

The senator received at least 27 votes from the 53-member conference during a secret ballot in the old Senate chamber on Wednesday morning. 

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Each of the candidates made a final pitch to their fellow Republican senators late Tuesday night during a forum held by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. 

Scott walked out of the meeting with two new public endorsements from both Lee and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Blackburn had asked multiple questions during the discussion, including “how they would give conservatives a more meaningful voice in the Senate and for specific details as to how they would immediately implement President Trump’s mass deportation operation.”

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Despite this, one source with knowledge told Fox News Digital that Scott’s pitch didn’t convince everyone. “Scott’s remarks didn’t do much to impress or sway members,” they said. “He focused more on his time as a businessman instead of priorities for the Senate.”

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Prior to the elections, Thune had received public endorsements from Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., John Hoeven, R-N.D., and a source confirmed to Fox News Digital that National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont., was privately encouraging other senators to support Thune. 

Scott had the most public support, with Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also backing him. 

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Cornyn had only received one public endorsement from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

The majority of GOP senators did not disclose ahead of time who they were casting their ballots for.

Rubio and Hagerty gave the two nominating speeches for Scott, while Daines and Rounds did so for Thune. It’s unclear who gave nominating speeches for Cornyn. 

The new leader will assume the role in January.