SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — The race for the next U.S. Senate Majority Leader is over.
And the winner is a man who grew up in Murdo, South Dakota.
South Dakota’s Senior Sen. John Thune was named the winner of a secret ballot by Republican Senators, besting Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. Thune received 29 votes in a second ballot, according to multiple national reports.
Thune received 23 votes in the first ballot, ahead of Cornyn’s 15 and Scott’s 13. Scott was eliminated from the second ballot.
In an emailed statement after the vote, Thune said he was “extremely honored to have earned the support.”
“I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House,” Thune said in an emailed statement. “This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today.”
Sen. Mike Rounds, of South Dakota, and Sen. Steve Daines, of Montana, gave nominating speeches for Thune.
Thune, who is 63 and will turn 64 in January, told KELOLAND News back in May he would seek to replace Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell. McConnel announced he’d step down as the Senate Republican leader in February.
“I’m going to do everything I can to convince my colleagues,” Thune said in May 2024 and also said he’d support a Trump presidency.
Thune, who first joined Congress as a member of the U.S. House in 1996, has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 2004 after he defeated South Dakota’s only other Senator to serve as Majority Leader — Tom Daschle.
Thune has been campaigning for the position to be the Republican leader in the Senate and also praised the quality of Republican Senate candidates in races across the county. He’ll oversee a U.S. Senate that will include 53 Republicans.
“Obviously, we now get to set the agenda in the Senate,” Thune said about the Republican Party winning more Senate seats. “And working with the Republican President we can help confirm get his people in the right positions to implement his agenda and work with him on that. Obviously, that applies to executive branch, agencies and departments, also the courts.”
