South Dakota's Thune voted Senate majority leader
The 63-year-old Murdo native won the job in a secret ballot among GOP senators Wednesday in Washington.
Two decades after John Thune ignited his political brand by knocking off Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota's momentous 2004 U.S. Senate race, he will assume the Republican leadership role himself.
South Dakota's senior senator won the job in a secret ballot among GOP senators Wednesday in Washington, snuffing out speculation that contenders closer to President-elect Donald Trump would rally enough MAGA-style support to carry the day.
The Senate is traditionally insulated from such efforts, as Thune's election proved. The Murdo native has built relationships and forged a reputation as a reliable conservative voice ever since that 2004 triumph over Daschle, which made him a rising GOP star at age 43.
Thune has been a fixture in the Senate ever since, most recently serving as Republican whip, the No. 2 role in the chamber behind longtime Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is relinquishing his post.
The symmetry of becoming leader 20 years after his historic 2004 victory "is not lost on me," Thune told News Watch during a conference call with South Dakota reporters Wednesday afternoon.
"I ran a campaign against Tom Daschle pointing out how the national Democrat agenda had gotten out of sync with the South Dakota agenda, and now I think the issues that people in South Dakota care about are very similar to the things we're trying to do here," he continued. "That's the reason that President Trump won as big as he did in South Dakota, including 86% in my hometown of Murdo. People are looking for a different direction, and so I think that we've sort of come full circle from 20 years ago."
Stu Whitney
Ascending to the top job and replacing his Senate mentor comes at an opportune time for Thune, who worked to help his colleagues regain the Senate majority. Republicans also wrested control of the White House and likely the House of Representatives as well as a conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court.
"We have a mandate to govern," Thune wrote in an op-ed for Fox News on Nov. 11, listing border security, tax relief, military strength and energy deregulation as top priorities. "Now we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work."
Thune tried to repair rift with Trump
Thune and Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn were viewed as favorites for months to replace McConnell, though Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott worked to leverage his alliance with Trump to close the gap.
Scott gained momentum with conservative media after Trump's election and received public support from fellow Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, all closely aligned with the administration.
Lee praised Scott's plans to protect each senator’s ability to call up amendments and reform the way in which the Senate passes spending bills, signaling a motivation to move away from McConnell's style of leadership.
But Scott was eliminated on the first ballot Wednesday, leaving the battle between Thune and Cornyn. Thune won that vote 29-24 among his peers to secure the leadership post.
Thune's relationship with Trump is notoriously spotty, dating back to Thune's call for vice presidential nominee Mike Pence to take over the GOP ticket in 2016 when the “Access Hollywood” tape leaked of Trump having a lewd conversation about sexual mistreatment of women.
Thune later voted to acquit Trump in the post-Capitol riot impeachment trial of 2021 but added that "what (Trump) did to undermine faith in our election system and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power is inexcusable.”
The 63-year-old Thune has since worked to mend the rift, ultimately endorsing Trump for 2024.
"I think President Trump and I have a good working relationship, and we speak regularly," said Thune, who spoke on the phone with Trump following the leadership vote. "I'm looking forward to working with him to achieve as much as possible and to ensure that he has the right people in place to enact his agenda, and that focuses clearly on the future. Obviously, we have a ton of work to do."
Cornyn received a public endorsement from Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, but the Texas senator faces re-election in 2026 and may need to spend time and political capital fending off a competitive primary. Thune is not up for re-election until 2028, and Scott, who just won his race, won't be up until 2030.
Thune received endorsements prior to the vote from fellow South Dakota U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds as well as U.S. Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota.
Rounds told News Watch that he backed Thune because he “embodies the principles and leadership qualities that our nation needs at this crucial time. His understanding of the legislative process and his ability to bring people together to find real solutions have earned him the trust and respect of his colleagues and the people of South Dakota.”
Thune: 'All options are on the table'
Trump didn't endorse in the leadership race, but he said he expects the new leader to go around regular Senate order, if necessary, to allow him to fill his Cabinet quickly.
In a statement on social media platforms X and Truth Social, Trump said that the next leader “must agree” to allow him to make appointments when the chamber is in recess, bypassing a confirmation vote.
Thune responded by publicly stating that "we must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s nominees in place as soon as possible, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments. We cannot let (Senate Democratic Leader Chuck) Schumer and Senate Dems block the will of the American people."
Stu Whitney
Some of Trump's nominees, such as Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, could be more challenging than others to push through. Thune didn't address those specifically but said the Senate needs to be ready to "hit the ground running" with confirmations.
"We'll try to have committees up and doing confirmation hearings as soon as we are sworn in in January and then by the time the President takes the oath of office on January 20, have some available for consideration on the floor," Thune said. "But I hope that the Democrats, particularly on these key national security positions, don't obstruct and block these nominees, because it's important that we move quickly to get them in place, and I think that's true for any president."
Thune lobbied for the leadership job by campaigning with and raising money for Republican Senate candidates in a successful bid to take back the Senate majority. His team said he raised more than $31 million for Senate races this cycle, including a $4 million transfer to the Senate Republican campaign operation.
On election night in South Dakota last week, after attending U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson's victory party and sharing remarks, Thune returned to his hotel to make congratulatory calls to new Republican senators who won their races, including Bernie Moreno in Ohio and Jim Justice in West Virginia.
Cornyn has similarly gone around for candidates and poured money into Texas races. His aides emphasize his long history of fundraising for Republicans — more than $400 million during his 22 years in the Senate, his office said.
On policy, the two men are similar, voting generally in step with the conference but working with Democrats at times. Cornyn is a longtime member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who took a leading role on bipartisan gun legislation two years ago. Thune worked across the aisle as a former chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
The Associated Press contributed to this story, which was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit news organization. Read more in-depth stories at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email every few days to get stories as soon as they're published. Contact investigative reporter Stu Whitney at stu.whitney@sdnewswatch.org.
