Senate Republicans have re-elected Senator John Thune of South Dakota as their leader, backing him by acclamation in a closed-door vote in the Old Senate Chamber, a week after midterm elections cost the party its majority.
Thune, 65, ran unopposed and will serve a second two-year term at the head of the Republican conference. He is currently Senate Majority Leader, but will become minority leader when the 120th Congress convenes on 3 January, leading a conference of no more than 46 senators.
The vote followed three separate meetings on Tuesday, after a group of conservatives led by Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin tried to delay the leadership elections, arguing senators needed more time to reassess after the party’s defeat. A private vote to postpone the contest failed by 15 votes to 31, according to a senior Republican aide, and the conference then proceeded to re-elect Thune. In a statement afterwards, Thune said he appreciated “an open, honest and transparent conversation” with his colleagues, adding: “I am honoured to have their continued trust.”
The vote of confidence came after a bruising election cycle in which Senate Republicans lost not only their majority but also seats long considered safe, including in Kansas and South Carolina. Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held seats, in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, and will hold at least 54 seats in the new Senate. Two further races, in Alaska and Mississippi, remain uncalled.
Some Republican senators have blamed party leaders, in Congress and in the White House, for failing to do more on the cost of living. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri said voters had punished the party for letting health care costs for working people “go through the roof” while delivering little on other affordability issues, from fertiliser to petrol.
Thune was instrumental in passing many of President Donald Trump’s second-term priorities, including the sweeping budget bill known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” Act. He has also clashed with the president over the past two years, including on expanding voting restrictions and on ending the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, known as the filibuster. The rest of the Republican leadership team was largely unchanged, with Senator John Barrasso re-elected as whip, Senator Tom Cotton remaining conference chair, Senator Shelley Moore Capito returning as policy chair and Senator James Lankford staying on as vice chair.
Across the Capitol, reports say House Republicans have chosen Jim Jordan of Ohio as their minority leader, defeating Steve Scalise of Louisiana by 106 votes to 73 on a secret ballot. Both chambers will flip to Democratic control in January.
Sources: Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/world/us/thune-reelected-republican-leader-by-acclamation-aide-says-2026-11-10/ ; USA Today — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/11/10/john-thune-reelected-senate-republicans-midterms/92712820007/ ; Associated Press — https://theloadedgunn.com/gop-senator-withholds-support-for-thune-as-leadership-showdown-looms/
