(AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Senator John Thune (R-SD) won the GOP Senate leadership race after defeating MAGA-world favorite Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) in the first round of voting and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the second on Wednesday.
During the final round of voting, Thune beat Cornyn by close vote of 29 to 24. On the first ballot, Thune gathered 25 votes, while Cornyn came in second place with 15, and Scott who fell in last with only 13. Thune announced his bid to run for leader shortly after Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said in February that he would retire from leadership by the end of this year.
Thune has served as the ranking number two-ranking Republican in Senate leadership since 2019 as the Republican whip.
Following the vote, Thune issued a statement thanking his GOP colleagues and vowed to unite Republican lawmakers “behind President Trump’s agenda.”
Honored to serve as the next U.S. Senate majority leader. pic.twitter.com/zq9XLrPDUr
— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) November 13, 2024
In the days leading up to the vote, Trump supporting pundits and influencers on X, including Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, and Elon Musk, rallied support online for Scott.
Many of the pundits urged their followers to pressure GOP lawmakers to back Scott instead of Thune and Cornyn because they were seen as loyal to McConnell.
Thune and President-elect Donald Trump’s rocky relationship was one of the main reasons for Scott receiving support from MAGA-world influencers. In 2020, the South Dakota senator opposed efforts by Trump’s allies to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential race.
