Thune re-elected as US Senate Republican leader after midterm losses

As they prepare to lose power, Republicans in the United States Senate have re-elected John Thune to lead their party during the final years of Donald Trump’s presidency.

At a closed-door meeting at the US Capitol on Tuesday, the South Dakota lawmaker won the support of his fellow Senate Republicans – even as some had hoped to delay the leadership vote to examine what went wrong in last week’s election.

“I appreciated the opportunity to have an open, honest, and transparent conversation with my colleagues today”, Thune said in a statement after the vote. “I am honored to have their continued trust and support to lead the Senate Republican Conference in the 120th Congress.”

Unlike two years ago, when he competed against two of his fellow Republicans to replace outgoing Senator Mitch McConnell as the party’s Senate leader, Thune ran unopposed on Tuesday for the role.

Senator Josh Hawley told reporters after the vote that “maybe there would be” a challenger if Senate Republicans had waited longer.

“I just think that we’ve got a lot of things that we’ve got to think through, and I think that to just rush into this and just ratify all of the same leadership, what message does that send?” the Missouri Republican said.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who circulated a letter asking for a delay in the vote, said he tried to postpone the leadership decision. He said his conference needed to do some “real soul searching” but, like Hawley, conceded that no one else had stepped up to challenge Thune.

“That’s part of our problem, who would want the job?” he said as he turned to a reporter and joked, “Do you want it?”

Thune’s re-election comes as Republicans in the US House selected Speaker Mike Johnson’s successor. Congressman Jim Jordan was elected as the US House minority leader, marking his first foray into Republican leadership.

Under Thune’s tenure, US Republicans lost at least seven Senate seats in the country’s pivotal midterms. Two US Senate races – Alaska and Mississippi – still remain uncalled.

Despite those losses, some in the party, like Senator Jim Lankford of Oklahoma, said that there is “widespread support” among Republican senators for Thune, who has taken a markedly different approach than McConnell to seek out differing viewpoints before making major decisions.

“It’s a pretty complicated role to be able to manage,” Lankford said of Thune’s role. “No one wants that job”.

Some conservative voices have attributed the party’s losses to Thune’s effort to pass the SAVE America Act, which would have required proof of US citizenship for voters and mandated voters to present identification when casting their ballot.

But on Tuesday, after winning re-election, he said backlash from voters was bigger than just one piece of legislation.

“Well, I think in every election, it’s never any one thing”, Thune told reporters. “I think it was a combination of things and, most importantly, it was the cost of living for the American people”.

The Republican leader had previously tried to raise the alarm on affordability, including rising global energy prices, in the lead-up to the midterms. During a Fox News interview in September, Thune said Trump’s war in Iran, which he once said would not be a “long-term thing”, had “trumped everything else” for US voters.

He has also emphasised Israel’s right to self-defence and criticised policies that pressure the Israeli military’s operations.

“Both the president and the Democrat leader are entitled to their personal strategic opinions and their personal opinions on Israel’s leadership,” Thune said in response to remarks by former President Joe Biden and then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2024. “What they are not entitled to is to attempt to dictate the election process or the strategic planning of a sovereign nation.”

Over the next two years, Thune will have to contend with a White House that has indicated it wants to double down on its most controversial policies while working to prevent further Republican losses in the 2028 election. He will also have to work with a Democratic-controlled Congress if Republicans hope to advance any legislation.

Thune, however, said he is looking forward to the “important work” that lies ahead.

“I’m proud of what this Republican team has accomplished together,” he said. “We remain united in our commitment to advancing conservative priorities, working with President Trump and our colleagues in the House, and holding the line against Democrats’ efforts to enact their far-left, liberal agenda”.