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Who is Republican Sen. John Thune, the newly elected Senate majority leader?

Thune, of South Dakota, has served as a U.S. senator since 2005.

Kate MurphyReporter
Updated
3 min read
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Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota was elected the next Senate majority leader on Wednesday after the GOP won control of the Senate last week.

Thune will replace GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is stepping down from party leadership after serving an 18-year tenure, making him the longest-serving party leader in Senate history.

“I am extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th Congress, and I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House,” Thune wrote in a post on X following the vote.

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) (C) speaks after being elected Senate Majority Leader for the 119th Congress following the Senate Republican leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as Majority Leader, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (2nd-L) as Assistant Majority Leader, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) (2nd-R) as Republican Conference Chair, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) (R) as Republican Policy Committee Chair, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) (L) as Republican Conference Vice Chair and Sen. Tim Scott (R-FL) as National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) (C) speaks after being elected Senate Majority Leader for the 119th Congress following the Senate Republican leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as Majority Leader, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (2nd-L) as Assistant Majority Leader, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) (2nd-R) as Republican Conference Chair, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) (R) as Republican Policy Committee Chair, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) (L) as Republican Conference Vice Chair and Sen. Tim Scott (R-FL) as National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The election was a three-way race between Thune and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, both considered part of the Republican establishment, and Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a MAGA Republican and Trump loyalist. There were two rounds of secret ballot voting, meaning senators’ votes were not publicized.

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All three candidates ran on a pledge to carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda. Trump remained neutral and did not endorse a specific candidate heading into Wednesday's Senate leader elections. But Trump did demand on social media that any candidate seeking the Senate leadership position “must agree to Recess Appointments” in the Senate, as a way to expedite his nominees for top Cabinet positions. All three candidates had agreed.

Thune told reporters during a Wednesday news conference that he plans on working "to enact Trump's agenda." A reporter asked Thune about whether he still plans to implement Trump's request for recess appointments to which he replied, "What we are going to do is make sure that we are processing his nominees in a way that gets them into those positions so they can implement his agenda. How that happens remains to be seen. ... We expect a level of cooperation from the Democrats."

Now that Thune has been selected as the new Senate leader, who is he?

Thune, 63, is the No. 2 Republican in the upper chamber of Congress, currently serving as the Senate minority whip, a post he has held since 2021. GOP Sen. John Barrasso from Wyoming was elected to take Thune's place on Wednesday as Senate majority whip. Thune previously stepped in for McConnell for a few weeks last year when he was on medical leave.

Thune has served in the Senate since 2005 — after he defeated then-Senate Minority Leader Democrat Tom Daschle — and is currently in his fourth Senate term. As a veteran legislator, he is also “well-liked and a respected communicator” among his Senate colleagues, according to the Associated Press.

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Thune was previously critical of Trump and called his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol “inexcusable.” However during the past year, their relationship seems to have smoothed as Thune and Trump have spoken over the phone and Thune has visited Trump in Florida.

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