Senate Republicans meet behind closed doors to choose new majority leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican senators will meet behind closed doors Wednesday to decide who will replace longtime Senate leader Mitch McConnell and lead a new majority next year — a decision that could shape the future of the Senate and the party as Donald Trump’s presidency asserts.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott are struggling to win the most votes in a secret ballot election, promising a new direction in the Senate even as they compete fiercely for Trump’s favor. It will be the first test of Trump’s relationship with Congress since he decisively won the election and demanded a mandate for his agenda.

It is unknown who will win.

Thune and Cornyn campaigned largely inside the Senate, working with senators individually and privately and raising millions of dollars for Senate GOP candidates. Both mobilized quickly in March after McConnell announced he was stepping down as leader.

Scott ran an insurgent campaign outside the Senate, publicly campaigning as the candidate closest to Trump and winning support from people close to the former and future president. Scott received a wave of support on X over the weekend as Trump allies, including Elon Musk, pressed his proposal.

Who senators choose and whether Trump ultimately backs a nominee in the final hours could set the tone for Trump’s efforts to assert control of the legislative branch in his second presidency. His relationship with McConnell was strained during his first term, and Trump was often frustrated that lawmakers did not fully bend to his will.

Both Cornyn and Thune have grown closer to Trump in recent months after criticizing him as he tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat. win support outside the Senate and within Trump’s inner circle to pressure domestic reform.

“We got a mandate a week ago that people want change,” Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who is backing Scott, said as he entered a candidate forum Tuesday night. “They want President Trump to have more freedom of action. than last time. He was a little tied up.

Tuberville said whoever is chosen, he wants to make sure Trump is “happy with it.”

Regardless of who wins, all three senators have shown that they will obey the new president as the leader of the party, and that they are willing to cede some of the power of the Senate to do so.

When Trump wrote Sunday that the new leader “must agree” to allow him to appoint Cabinet members and others while the Senate is in recess, avoiding confirmation votes, all three quickly signaled they were open to the idea.

To choose a new leader, Senate Republicans will meet privately in the Capitol’s ceremonial chamber for several hours to hear the candidates make their case. Only a few assistants are allowed. Each candidate will be introduced and nominated by two other senators and then give their own speech. Voting is carried out secretly. If no one gets a majority in the first round of voting, they move on to a second round and so on until someone gets a majority of votes.

The club competition stands in stark contrast to the House of Representatives, where lawmakers publicly announce their votes for speaker in House elections.

And aside from Scott’s challenge to McConnell two years ago, in which he won by 10 votes, this is the first competitive election for Republican leadership in three decades. McConnell, who has been a force in the party but has repeatedly feuded with Trump, had no rival when he first became party leader in 2007.

Unlike most previous contests, there is no clear favorite in the election. Because senators vote secretly, most will not say who they are voting for. And some may never tell.

“It’s a secret ballot, and it’s a secret ballot for a reason,” said South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, who previously said he would support his colleague from Thune’s home state. “Each member selects the leader they feel they can work best with during that two-year period.”

Rounds said he preferred Thune and Cornyn to “deal with everyone one-on-one,” but he also talked to Scott. “We have three qualified people,” he said.

One thing all the candidates agree on is replacing McConnell, who has been the majority leader, a key demand of the far-right faction of the faction, which has disagreed with McConnell over Ukraine aid and has increasingly turned against him as he feuds with Trump. .