EGN NEWS DESK
As Republicans put together to take management of the Senate in January, all eyes are on the three-way contest to interchange Senate Republican chief Mitch McConnell, who has held the highest GOP put up for practically 20 years and is stepping down on the finish of the yr.
Three senators are operating in a secret poll election Wednesday for the management spot: Senate Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas, and Rick Scott of Florida. The stakes of the management battle are excessive, as the brand new Senate majority chief could have vital affect over the party’s skill to push by President-elect Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, Cabinet appointees, and key legislative priorities.
The three candidates have been working to place themselves as the most effective ally to Trump and essentially the most succesful chief to unify the party. For Thune and Cornyn, aligning with Trump with out alienating the extra average and institution wings of the party would require delicate balancing. Scott, however, is positioning himself as essentially the most Trump-aligned candidate within the race, and has gained the assist of highly effective Trump advisors together with tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Trump is but to endorse a candidate, however he’s utilizing his affect in different methods, demanding that the subsequent majority chief enable recess appointments to bypass affirmation votes and rapidly push by his nominees.
Here’s what to know concerning the candidates vying to be the subsequent Senate Republican majority chief.
John Thune
Thune, who at present holds the No. 2 Senate Republican management spot, is broadly considered because the institution option to succeed McConnell. A longtime member of the Senate management group and McConnell’s right-hand man, Thune, 63, would possible deal with sustaining party unity and advancing a standard conservative platform—tax cuts, protection spending, and financial deregulation.
Thune’s candidacy is considered by many as a continuation of McConnell’s strategy to Senate management, which prioritized institutional stability and incremental legislative progress. Thune has mentioned that below his management, Republicans would rapidly push by Trump’s judicial nominations and Cabinet appointments, together with by way of recess appointments if essential to keep away from Democratic roadblocks. He’s additionally an efficient fundraiser, having raised over $31 million for the Senate races throughout this election cycle. Thune’s emphasis could be on guaranteeing that the Senate features effectively, however his problem can be to stability the calls for of conventional conservatives with the rising affect of Trump-aligned populists within the party.
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While Thune has endorsed Trump’s insurance policies lately, he has confronted criticism from Trump’s supporters as a result of his previous statements concerning the former President’s position within the Jan. sixth, 2021 Capitol assault. Thune mentioned that Trump’s efforts to disrupt the peaceable switch of energy had been “inexcusable” and voted to certify the outcomes of the 2020 election. “South Dakota doesn’t like weak point,” Trump tweeted in December 2020. “He can be primaried in 2022, political profession over!!!” Thune went on to win re-election simply, and he has since labored to fix his relationship with Trump, making a number of visits to Mar-a-Lago this yr and publicly supporting Trump’s agenda. Thune pledged to work carefully with Trump if elected to Senate Republican management however has suggested the President-elect to not intervene within the management race, claiming that it’s in Trump’s “finest pursuits” to not take a aspect.
John Cornyn
Cornyn, a former Majority Whip and veteran of the Senate, is one other institution determine within the race. Known for his expertise in legislative negotiations, Cornyn, 72, has spent years constructing relationships throughout the aisle, with a selected deal with judicial appointments and tax reform. As chief, he would possible prioritize conservative fiscal insurance policies, judicial confirmations, and sustaining a gradual protection finances.
Like Thune, he has a protracted historical past of fundraising for Republican candidates, bringing in additional than $400 million over his 22 years within the Senate. However, Cornyn’s fame as a pragmatist and dealmaker might make him much less interesting to the party’s extra populist wing. He has labored carefully with Democrats on a number of main items of laws, together with the 2021 gun management invoice, which has drawn the ire of some within the GOP’s far-right flank. Cornyn has additionally distanced himself from Trump at instances, most notably after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Last yr, forward of the Republican primaries, he mentioned that Trump couldn’t win re-election and that Republicans ought to choose an alternate candidate. “I feel President Trump’s time has handed him by,” Cornyn mentioned in May 2023. “I don’t suppose President Trump understands that whenever you run in a common election, it’s important to attraction to voters past your base.”
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Still, Cornyn has labored to restore his relationship with Trump, showing at rallies and supporting Trump’s requires fast-tracking judicial nominations. “As I advised President Trump, I’m all for getting the band again collectively once more,” Cornyn mentioned on Fox News on Nov. 4.
Rick Scott
Scott, the previous governor of Florida, has positioned himself as essentially the most direct problem to the GOP institution on this race. A staunch ally of Trump, Scott, 71, has leaned into the President-elect’s populist rhetoric and would push the “America First” agenda because the Senate Republican chief. As a two-term governor of Florida, Scott applied tax cuts, deregulation, and conservative insurance policies on schooling and healthcare, and he has carried these priorities into his tenure as a senator. Scott additionally leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is answerable for electing Republicans.
Scott’s marketing campaign for Senate chief has been bolstered by his shut relationship with Trump, in addition to endorsements from key figures throughout the MAGA motion, together with Musk, Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah, right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson, and former Republican presidential main candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Still, Scott faces an uphill battle: he’s much less common amongst Senate colleagues than Thune and Cornyn, and it might be uncommon for him to leapfrog his extra senior counterparts in a physique that historically values expertise and seniority. Scott was elected to the Senate in 2019.
