Senate Republicans will enter minority status with the same leadership team in place as before. John Thune, John Barrasso, and Tom Cotton were all re-elected to their roles leading their party just one week after going from a 53-47 majority to facing a 55-45 or 56-44 minority and losing in red states such as Kansas, South Carolina, and Texas in the midterm elections.
Thus Thune will be the minority leader, John Barrasso minority whip, and Tom Cotton the conference chair.
Thune posted on X shortly after winning his bid to continue leading Republicans, saying in part, “I appreciated the opportunity to have an open, honest, and transparent conversation with my colleagues today, and I am honored to have their continued trust and support to lead the Senate Republican Conference.”
The South Dakota Republican faced calls from some conservative senators to discuss at length his plan for the next two years.
Breitbart News reported Monday on critical comments made by Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick:
“One of the things I learned in business and the Army is that after a failure, you have to start with honesty, transparency, and accountability,” McCormick said in a post on X. “A week ago, we had the worst election results in decades. We need a discussion about what went wrong, how we fix it, what we stand for, and how our agenda must focus on the concerns of the American people.”
McCormick added that he has shared with Thune that he does not believe Senate Republicans “should move to leadership elections” until they “have digested and debated the lessons of the midterms and how to move forward.”
Senate Leadership Fund Executive Director Alex Latcham, who led Senate Republican leadership efforts in 2026, praised Thune’s reelection. “As a dedicated public servant and a steady conservative hand in the U.S. Senate, Leader Thune will continue to deliver on President Trump’s agenda as a principled fighter for the American people against Democrat obstruction and extremism.”
Bernie Moreno, the first-term Ohio Republican elected in 2024, is the new face in charge of Republicans’ efforts to recapture the majority as National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman. Marquee races in 2028 include holding Republican seats in Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, and Wisconsin and finding challengers to Democrat-held seats in states such as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.
