The Senate Republicans held a closed-door meeting on Wednesday morning to anonymously vote on multiple leadership positions, including the Senate Republican leader. The successor of Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, is highly anticipated.
Starting at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Senate Republicans will elect a new party leader, party whip, conference chairman, policy committee chairman, conference vice chairman, and chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
In the congressional elections held last week, the Republican Party secured control of the Senate, so the newly elected Republican leader on Wednesday will become the majority leader in the next Congress.
Currently, there are three Republican senators vying for this leadership position. Senators John Thune and John Cornyn are widely seen as establishment senior members of the Senate and are considered front-runners in the behind-the-scenes competition.
Senator Scott is a long-time ally of Trump and is also considered a top candidate, earning endorsements from many Trump supporters, including billionaire Musk, conservative commentators Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, and Senator Marco Rubio.
During the campaign, all three hope to secure Trump’s support, but Trump has not endorsed any of them so far. The President-elect stated on Sunday that he hopes the new Republican leader will bypass the Senate’s normal procedures and agree to “recess appointments,” allowing him to appoint his cabinet without Senate confirmation. Currently, all three contenders have expressed openness to this idea.
At 82 years old, McConnell is the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. In February of this year, he announced he would step down from the Republican leadership position, triggering immediate speculation about who would succeed him.