What to know about incoming Senate Majority leader John Thune
U.S. Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to be the Majority Leader starting in January, opting for a seasoned Washington insider despite pressure by supporters of President-elect Donald Trump more closely aligned with the Make America Great Again agenda.
Who is John Thune?
Thune, 63, is considered a level-headed lawmaker and is generally respected by many of his Republican peers. He currently serves as the Senate's Republican second-in-command and will succeed 82-year-old Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in the chamber's history. Thune was first elected to the Senate in 2004.
Thune's win might also signal that the Senate could be more independent from Trump when Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress. Republicans hold a slight majority in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.
How was Thune elected?
Thune won 29-24 against his opponent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in a second round of voting. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was also a contender but was eliminated in the first round.
Allies of the president-elect, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and many Trump-aligned U.S. Senators, had been advocating for Scott, who is considered more ideologically extreme than Thune and more loyal to Trump.
Trump, however, did not weigh in on the contest at the urging of lawmakers, including Thune himself.
How closely aligned is Thune with Trump?
In a Wednesday news conference, Thune said he wanted to confirm Trump's cabinet nominees and collaborate with him to make spending cuts and increase border security.
"We are excited to reclaim the majority and begin to work with our colleagues in the House to enact President Trump's agenda," he said.
But that didn’t stop Trump from calling him a "RINO" (Republican in Name Only) in 2021 and calling for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to primary him.
What does the Senate Majority Leader do?
The majority leader sets the Senate’s legislative agenda, including what pieces of legislation to debate and vote on and when, and manages business like scheduling votes, hearings and meetings. They also serve as a representative or spokesperson for the party, coordinating and negotiating with the opposition party and the Executive Branch.
USA TODAY's Riley Beggin, Francesca Chambers, David Jackson, Joey Garrison, Rachel Looker, Josh Meyer, Marina Pitofsky, and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy; USA TODAY Network's Gray Rohrer and Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Thune: What to know about incoming Senate Majority Leader