House Republicans on Wednesday nominated Speaker Mike Johnson to keep his gavel in n the next Congress and Senate Republicans picked Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has held the Senate GOP’s top leadership post for 18 years.
Johnson did not face any challenge to his leadership, despite some discontent among ultraconservatives and reported frustration about proposed changes to conference rules that would punish members who break from party leaders on certain votes. President-elect Donald Trump reportedly backed Johnson and urged the party to unify at his meeting Tuesday morning with House Republicans. Johnson’s nomination advanced via unanimous voice vote.
To stay on as speaker, Johnson still needs to be elected by a majority of the full House in a vote scheduled for January 3. Given projections that the GOP will again have only a slim majority in the House, the Louisiana Republican will need the backing of almost every member of his conference.
Thune’s ascension to be Senate majority leader faces no such uncertainty. The senior senator from South Dakota, Thune has been the No. 2 in Senate leadership since 2019. He narrowly beat out Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida in two rounds of balloting.
“This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today,” Thune said after the vote.
Other Senate Republicans elected to leadership jobs include Sen John Barrasso of Wyoming for majority whip, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas as GOP conference chair and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia as chair of the Republican Policy Committee.
On the House side, Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Tom Emmer of Minnesota were re-elected as majority leader and majority whip, while Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan was chosen as the next Republican conference chair, replacing Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who Trump picked to be ambassador to the United Nations.
