In the first seriously contested Senate Republican leadership election in decades, three senators are vying to replace longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell when he steps down from the post at the beginning of next year. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen.
FILE - Sen. John Cornyn , R-Texas, speaks to media, Oct. 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Sen. Rick Scott , R-Fla., speaks at a campaign watch party on election night Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Bonita Springs, Fla. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota , speaks in support of Ohio Republican candidate for the United States Senate, Bernie Moreno during a bus tour stop for the Ohio Senate race in Columbus, Ohio, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. FILE - Sen. John Cornyn , R-Texas, speaks to media, Oct.
Well liked and a respected communicator, Thune has been perceived as a front-runner for much of the year. He is currently the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, and took over for McConnell for a few weeks last year when he was on a medical leave. He is also a former chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee.
One potential liability for Thune has been his previously rocky relationship with Trump. Thune was highly critical of the then-president as he tried to overturn his election defeat in 2020 and after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump’s supporters. Thune said then that Trump’s efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power were “inexcusable.”
Cornyn, 72, has also spent much of the year courting his colleagues one by one and fundraising for them around the country. He has long been one of the best fundraisers in the Senate, and his aides say he has raised more than $400 million for party candidates during his 22 years in office., stepped up background checks for buyers under 21, increased prosecutions for unlicensed gun sellers and put millions of dollars into youth mental health services.
John Thune Donald Trump South Dakota United States House Of Representatives Mitch Mcconnell John Cornyn General News Congress SD State Wire TX State Wire FL State Wire Government And Politics Tom Daschle Elections Government Appointments And Nominations Florida Utah Washington News Rick Scott Politics
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