SEPTEMBER 18, 2024:
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MARCH 5, 2024:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso says (March 5, 2024) he’ll run for the No. 2 spot in the Senate Republican conference after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell leaves at the end of the year. Barrasso bows out of the race for leader after two of his colleagues announced they’d run. Texas Sen. John Cornyn and South Dakota Sen. John Thune have announced they’ll campaign to replace McConnell, who said last week he’ll step down from his leadership post but remain in the Senate after the November elections. Barrasso is No. 3 in leadership as chairman of the Senate Republican conference. Barrasso said Tuesday he’ll ask his colleagues for their support “to work for them as the Assistant Republican Leader.”
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MARCH 4, 2024:
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MARCH 1, 2024:
South Dakota U.S. Senator John Thune could become the next leader of the republican party in the United States Senate.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the longest serving party leader in Senate history, announced Wednesday (Feb. 28, 2024) that he would not seek another term as leader.
Thune currently serves as the assistant majority leader– or party “whip”– the second highest position in party leadership. He said for decades, McConnell has “been a fierce defender of the Senate, our conference, and our party, and we’re all better for his service.” Thune says McConnell leaves big shoes to fill and he looks forward to “having a discussion with my colleagues about what the future holds for the Senate Republican Conference and a new generation of leadership.”
Texas Senator John Cornyn quickly announced his intention to replace McConnell. Cornyn served as McConnell’s No. 2 in leadership before he was term-limited out of the job.
According to the Associated Press, there has long been speculation that Thune, Cornyn and Wyoming Senator John Barrasso -– the “three Johns” -– would vie to replace McConnell. Neither Thune nor Barrasso have made an official announcement one way or the other regarding the leadership position.
Thune was first elected to serve as Republican whip for the 116th Congress, which included a historic response to the coronavirus pandemic and confirmation of a Supreme Court justice, among many other efforts.
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