Who Will Replace Mitch McConnell As GOP Senate Leader?
On Wednesday, Mitch McConnell announced he would be stepping down from Republican Senate leadership this fall, marking an end to his controversial, party-defining tenure. While the Kentucky senator plans to serve out his term through 2026, the jockeying for his role as leader has already begun. Several GOP senators have been floated as potential successors — including three named John. Here’s what to know about the top candidates to succeed McConnell.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas
John Cornyn, 72, is Texas’s senior senator, having represented the state since 2002. He previously served alongside McConnell as the Republican whip from 2012 to 2019 and chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party’s campaign arm. Before his time in Congress, he was both a district and supreme-court judge in the state as well as Texas attorney general.
During his time in leadership and as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Cornyn was staunch in his opposition to allowing confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant following Antonin Scalia’s death.
In 2023, Cornyn briefly caused a stir when he suggested Donald Trump might not be the party’s best presidential candidate after having previously endorsed him in 2016. “We need to come up with an alternative,” Cornyn said, per the Dallas Morning News. “I think President Trump’s time has passed him by and what’s the most important thing to me is we have a candidate who can actually win.” The senator went on to endorse Trump after his win in the New Hampshire primary, writing on social media, “I have seen enough. To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it’s clear that President Trump is Republican voters’ choice.”
On Thursday, Cornyn officially announced his leadership bid, touting his experience and his collaboration with the former president, particularly naming his work as whip in getting Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh confirmed. “Throughout my time I’ve built a track record of listening to colleagues and seeking consensus, while leading the fight to stop bad policies that are harmful to our nation and the conservative cause,” he wrote in a statement to his fellow Republicans.
NEWS — @JohnCornyn makes it official, announces intention to run for GOP leader
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 29, 2024
He spoke with Trump yesterday and started calling around to individual GOP senators pic.twitter.com/W4XF3lBk17
Senator John Thune of South Dakota
John Thune, 63, is No. 2 in the Senate Republican leadership since succeeding Cornyn as whip in 2019. He was first elected to the Senate in 2005 after several terms in the House of Representatives.
Out of the three Johns, Thune may be in the most precarious position with the Republican Party’s de facto presidential nominee. The senator criticized Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, saying that any such action “would go down like a shot dog” in the Senate. Trump later lashed out at Thune, calling him a “RINO” and “Mitch’s boy” on social media and appearing to support primarying him in 2022. He called for South Dakota governor Kristi Noem to challenge Thune for his seat, though she declined to do so.
Thune at first backed South Carolina senator Tim Scott for president but endorsed Trump earlier this month after speaking to him following the South Carolina primary.
The Hill reports that Thune has begun talking to his Republican colleagues about a potential bid, though he hasn’t officially announced one. “I’m having lots of conversations with our colleagues, and so getting inside input from them about where they see the future headed and what they want out of the next Senate Republican leader. They’re great conversations,” he said.
Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming
John Barrasso, 71, is the current chair of the Republican Conference and has represented Wyoming in Congress since 2007. Prior to his time in Washington, the third-ranking Senate Republican worked as an orthopedic surgeon and served one term in the Wyoming state senate.
Of the three Johns, Barrasso is seen as the most conservative. He endorsed Trump in early January and was, at the time, the highest-ranking Republican to do so. During an ABC News interview, Barrasso declined to criticize Trump for defending January 6 rioters who had chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”
Though he is considered a top contender, Barrasso has yet to entertain speculation that he will join the race to lead the Senate GOP. “That election is nine months away, and there’s a much more important election between now and then. And that’s the election we need to take the presidency and the Senate and the House, and that’s where my focus is,” he said on Wednesday, per Politico.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida
Outside of current or former Republican leadership, Rick Scott’s name has emerged as a possible candidate to succeed McConnell. Scott, 71, has served as Florida’s junior senator since 2019 after two terms in the Florida governor’s mansion.
He is not new to the leadership process. He previously challenged McConnell for his job in 2022, the first such attempt against him. Scott lost in a vote of 37 to 10 with one member abstaining.
Scott has made no official announcements about wanting McConnell’s job again but has yet to rule out a possible run. “I have been very clear and have long believed that we need new leadership in the Senate that represents our voters and the issues we were sent here to fight for. As everyone knows, I challenged Leader McConnell in 2022. This is an opportunity to refocus our efforts on solving the significant challenges facing our country and actually reflect the aspirations of voters,” he said in a statement.
Senator Steve Daines of Montana
Politico reports that Trump has already weighed in on the race to find McConnell’s successor, reaching out to Steve Daines to encourage him to throw his hat into the ring. Daines, 61, has represented Montana in the Senate since 2015 after serving one term in the House of Representatives. In January, Daines was also named chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Daines did not rule out a potential run in an interview with Politico but said his current focus is on getting more Republicans elected in this election cycle. “I told [Trump] the most important thing I can do this moment is to make sure we have a Senate majority in November,” he said.
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