Senate Republicans choose new leader amid MAGA pressure campaign
Senate Republicans on Wednesday chose their next majority leader to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell and brought to a close an intense pressure campaign from President-elect Donald Trump's MAGA allies.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) claimed the powerful position during a closed-door meeting that brought a contentious battle between Trump's supporters and long-standing conservative lawmakers to a close.
Thune ran against John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL).
Thune and Cornyn both boast lengthy tenures in the Senate, dating back to former President George W. Bush’s administration, and strong ties to the institutionalist wing of the GOP.
Scott, in contrast, joined the Senate in 2018 and aligns himself strongly with the MAGA movements and controversial pundits such as Tucker Carlson and Laura Loomer, the 9/11 conspiracy theorist who once called herself a proud Islamophobe.
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Carlson mounted a pressure campaign to shoehorn Scott into the position — frustrating several Senate Republicans who told reporters they did not appreciate being bullied.
“I really don’t much care what Tucker Carlson thinks," one GOP senator, who asked not to be named, said in a recent report. "They’re trying to bully us. That’s not how these elections work.”
Both Thune and Cornyn openly criticized Trump as he mounted a reelection campaign with a focus on violent rhetoric and radical policy promises such as massive tariffs on international trade.
In January, Thune told CNN he was deeply concerned by Trump's GOP primary success, reportedly saying “I’ve always been worried” about his chances in a general election.
Incumbent and newly elected senators cast secret ballots on the lawmaker they wanted to represent them over the next two years. McConnell's departure from the position represents the end of an 18-year reign.