3 GOP senators vying for leader role

All have endorsements from party allies

By: Riley Beggin
USA Today

WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump's allies are adding their voices - and pressure - to Wednesday's [11/13/2024] high-stakes election to pick Republican leader Mitch McConnell's heir, who will pay a major role in the incoming administration's vision for the country.
..... McConnell - the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history - is steeping down form his leadership post in January. [2025] Three senators are running to replace him in an election that will take place behind closed doors.
..... Trump allied Tucker Carlson, Vivek Ramanswamy, Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others are weighing in on the critical vote for the next Senate Republican leader, serving as a potent reminder that every major decision is ripe for influence in Trump's Washington.
..... The only question now is whether it will work.
..... Two senators are considered the main contenders: South Dakota's John Thune, who is currently second-in-command in the Senate GOP as Republican whip and Texas' John Cornyn, who has also served as whip and previously led the Senate GOP's campaign arm. Both have longstanding relationship with McConnell.
..... But several of Trump's most recognized allies are mounting a campaign to choose Florida's Rick Scott. They argue Scott is the only candidate who has been sufficiently loyal to Trump and would be best equipped to represent the president-elect interests. Some are poking at a yearlong rivalry between Trump and McConnell that flared up after the capitol riot in January 6, 2021.
..... A vote for Rick Scott is a vote to END the anti-Trump rot of Mitch McConnell in the US Senate,: conservative podcaster Benny Johnson posted on X. "Thune and Cornyn are a continuation of McConnell's total failure."
..... Also on social media, Carlson accused Cornyn's positions of being "indistinguishable from Liz Cheney's," one of Trump's most vocal critics. Kennedy responded to Carlson's post, sharing, "without Rick Scott, the entire Trump reform agenda wobbly."
..... Thune and Cornyn have been active fundraisers and campaigners for their fellow senators and are popular with their colleagues. Thier supporters say they would bring decades of experience to the leadership role and could hit the ground running to enact Trump's agenda.
..... Both Republican senators have worked to rebuild their relationship with the president-elect and say they stand ready to pursue his goals, including a recent demand too accelerate confirmation of his Cabinet and judicial nominees.
..... On Sunday, [11/10/2024] Trump rote on Truth Social: "any Republican Senator seeking the covered LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner."
..... By demanding "recess appointments," he asking the leaders to agree to dismiss the chamber to allow him to appoint temporary nominees without lengthy confirmation battles. He also insisted Republicans prevent Democrats from confirming any more judges while President Joe Biden is in office.
..... All three candidates moved quickly to show their support for the idea.
..... Trump has not publicly indicated who he plans to endorse in the three-way Senate race, which will be conducted by secret ballot. A public pressure campaign is a gamble: It could change the direction of the race, or senators might reject Trump;s choice.
..... Thune, 63, was first elected to the Senate in 2004. As the Republican whip, he is responsible for ensuring his party has enough votes to accomplish its goals in the upper chamber.
..... After January 6, 2021, Thune was among the many senators in both parties who condemned the rioters and opposed Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Trump then called for someone to challenge Thune in his 2020 primary, but no one emerged, and Thune prevailed.
..... Thune initially endorse Senator Tim Scott, R-North Carolina, in the 2024 GOP primary, but later endorse Trump after Scott dropped out. in the moths since, Thune has worked to repair his connection with Trump, including visiting the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
..... Still Thune on CNBC last weekend [11-09-10/2024] urged the president-elect not to "exert" influence over the Senate leadership election.
..... Many senators are playing their cards close to their chest ahead of Wednesday's [11/13/202] vote. But Thune has three public endorsements so far: Senators Steve Daines, R-Montana, National Republican Senatorial Committee chair; Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, and Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma.
..... Corny, 72, has served in the SE ante since 2002. He was the GOP whip before Thune and chair of the NRSC, the campaign arm for Senate Republicans, from 2009 to 2013. Before joining the Senate, he was Texas' attorney general.
..... He also condemned Trump's actions on January 6 [2021] and later said he didn't think Trump could win another presidential race. However, he endorsed Trump's reelection bid in January of this year. [2024]
..... Cornyn had less bad blood with Trump to begin with but has also worked to endear himself to Trump since then. He spent time on the Campaign trail with Trump in Texas and Nevada, and also visited Mar-a-Lago to speak with Trump during the campaign.
..... He has one public endorsement so far: Sean tor Josh Hawley R-Montana.
..... Scott, 71. just won a second term in the Senate. He was first elected in 2019 after serving as the governor of Florida, where he initially forged a relationship with Trump.
..... He has led a small cohort of Republic Senators who oppose McConnell and align more closely with Trump. in 2022, he challenged McConnell for the leadership position, losing 37-10. Some of his colleagues remain frustrate with GOP losses under his leadership as NRSC chair during the 2022 elections.
..... Scott has touted his close relationship with Trump as he campaigns for the leadership spot. He has noted that Trump's incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, ran his gubernatorial campaign, creating an immediate connection with the next White House.
..... "We have got to change the way the Senate is run to get Trump's agenda done," Scott said on Fox News on Sunday. [11/10/2024] "so the question is going to be: Who is going to make sure we get these things done?"
..... He has the endorsement of Sean tors Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama,; Marco Rubio, R-Florida; Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee; and Rand Paul R- Kentucky.

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