John Thune triumphed in his marketing campaign for GOP chief by laser-focusing on two issues: Republican senators and mending his relationship with Donald Trump.
He spent the previous couple of months donating closely to colleagues and becoming a member of them on their campaigns. He spoke continuously with Trump immediately, together with after the final election final week. And he ignored a conservative and MAGA-world stress marketing campaign to elect Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) because the GOP chief.
“I have been centered on my colleagues,” Thune mentioned. He narrowly defeated Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on the second poll by a vote of 29-24. Scott fell on the primary poll.
His potential to navigate his approach to victory on this political atmosphere is an early sign of how Thune plans to attempt to stability main a traditionally bipartisan establishment and appeasing Trump when Republicans management all branches of the federal government.
An institutionalist like his predecessor, present Minority Chief Mitch McConnell, Thune has labored to remain in contact with Trump whereas holding his focus closely on the senators who will truly hold him in energy. Senators in the end backing Thune signifies they continue to be fascinated with holding tight to their congressional powers, at the same time as they give the impression of being to greenlight a lot of Trump’s agenda — many Thune backers cited holding agency to separation of powers as one among their motivations heading into the vote.
Nonetheless, it was necessary to senators that Thune ended his rift with Trump, after a collection of public criticisms towards the previous president. Thune mentioned after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol assault that Trump’s actions have been “inexcusable.” He was additionally the primary member of congressional GOP management to name on Trump to withdraw from the presidential race after the notorious Entry Hollywood tape was made public.
However even conservative senators aren’t anxious about that historical past, not less than proper now.
“J.D. Vance as soon as referred to him as Hitler, and he is vice chairman,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) advised POLITICO of Thune’s previous criticism of Trump. “So, one factor I find out about Donald Trump: he is bought that kind of jocular, masculine potential to let the previous be the previous and embrace and pray in the midst of the 50-yard line after the sport.”
Cramer, a Thune backer, referred to as Trump “not an irrelevant issue, however not the primary issue” for many senators’ votes on the management slate.
“They’re in a great place with one another,” added Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who’s spent latest time with Trump and is a Thune ally. “There is no rift between them. There are not any issues about their relationship in any respect.”
Nonetheless, there are main potential areas of disagreement looming over the following two years, significantly the destiny of the Senate filibuster. The president-elect has at occasions referred to as to abolish the 60-vote threshold, together with pushing laborious on then-Majority Chief McConnell throughout Trump’s first time period within the White Home, whereas Thune has publicly confirmed he plans to maintain the present threshold in place.
And there are nonetheless moderates within the chamber who could possibly be a thorn in Thune’s aspect on nominees or different conservative priorities. GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) have been vocally outspoken towards the president at occasions. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, continues to be within the chamber.
Trump, in Washington for conferences with the Home Republican convention and President Joe Biden, didn’t instantly remark following the approval of the brand new Senate GOP management slate. However Thune and Trump have spoken often over the previous few months, together with a cellphone name after Thune received on Wednesday.
“[Thune] mentioned time and again and time and again that he was going to make President Trump’s agenda his agenda, and so I be ok with that,” distinguished conservative Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who supported Cornyn, mentioned after the vote.
A number of senators identified that Thune’s voting document aligned with Trump’s greater than 90 p.c of the time through the president-elect’s first time period in workplace, according to a FiveThirtyEight average, some extent that was underscored throughout a candidate discussion board Tuesday and through nomination speeches Wednesday.
“President Trump and Sen. Thune I feel will do an amazing job working collectively,” mentioned Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.). “Sen. Thune is prepared for change, and he is aware of that America is anticipating outcomes.”
That voting document is just not reflective of a few of Thune’s prior dust-ups with Trump, although. Along with feedback on Jan. 6 and the Entry Hollywood tapes, Thune extra lately backed Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) initially within the 2024 Republican main earlier than shifting to Trump after the South Carolinian withdrew from the race. Trump even sought to recruit a main challenger towards Thune for his 2022 reelection bid, however was in the end unsuccessful.
Regardless of that historical past and their losses, Cornyn and Scott each expressed help for Thune’s management and vowed Republicans would stick collectively to enact their agenda.
“There is no division,” Cornyn insisted. “I feel it is actually necessary for our convention to remain collectively, to be as efficient as we could be. … It was a secret poll so, I do not assume any of us know precisely who voted for who.”
That dynamic is one thing Thune tacitly acknowledged after the vote, vowing to “be a frontrunner who serves the whole Republican convention.”
“This Republican group is united. We’re on one group,” Thune mentioned. “We now have a mandate from the American individuals.”
Eleanor Mueller, Meredith Lee Hill and Caitlin Emma contributed to this report.
