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John Thune elected U.S. Senate majority leader

The Republicans in the U.S. Senate picked John Thune as the chamber's new leader Wednesday as lawmakers scrambling to prepare for President-elect Donald Trump's new administration rejected his camp's favored candidate.

Agencies and A News AMERICAS
Published November 13,2024
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U.S. Senior Senator John Thune (R-SD) speaks to the press after the Republican weekly luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2024. (AFP File Photo)

U.S. Sen. John Thune was elected Wednesday as Senate majority leader for the next two years.

In a secret ballot election, three Republican candidates -- Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott -- run to replace Mitch McConnell, who has held the post for nearly two decades and will step down at the end of the year.

Thune received 29 votes, to Cornyn's 24. Scott was eliminated from the leadership contest in the first round of voting after getting 13 votes.

"I am extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th Congress, and I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House," Thune said in a statement.

Thune, 63, has served as Senate Republican whip, the number two position in Senate Republican leadership since 2019.

House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that whoever is elected new leader, the House looks forward "to working with him beginning immediately."