Senate Minority Whip John Thune will become the new Republican Senate leader and the majority leader in the new Congress. He will take over from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, in January.
Sources told Fox News Digital that no candidate got a majority in the first secret ballot in the old Senate chamber on Wednesday morning. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., got the fewest votes and was eliminated. The second secret ballot was between Thune and Cornyn.
Thune received 29 votes, while Cornyn got 24, according to Thune’s office.
Each candidate made a final pitch to their fellow Republican senators late Tuesday night during a forum held by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Scott left the meeting with new public endorsements from both Lee and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. A source told Fox News Digital that Blackburn asked several questions during the discussion, including how they would give conservatives a stronger voice in the Senate and how they would implement President Trump’s mass deportation operation.
Despite this, another source told Fox News Digital that Scott’s pitch didn’t impress everyone. “Scott’s remarks didn’t do much to sway members,” they said. “He focused more on his time as a businessman instead of Senate priorities.”
Before the elections, Thune had 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., backing him.
Cornyn had only one public endorsement from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
Most GOP senators did not disclose who they were voting for ahead of time.
Rubio and Hagerty gave the 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 take on the role in January.