Senate Republicans Leave Meeting Without Decision on Thune’s Leadership/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Senate Republicans ended a two-hour meeting Tuesday without resolving whether to reelect John Thune as their leader. Thune remains favored and faces no announced challenger, but several senators want more time to examine the party’s sweeping election losses. The debate has widened beyond leadership to include Republican priorities on healthcare, spending and household costs.
Quick Look
- No decision: Republicans left their morning meeting without resolving Thune’s leadership bid.
- Afternoon discussions: Senators were expected to reconvene later Tuesday.
- Thune favored: He remains popular among colleagues and is running unopposed.
- Calls for reflection: Ron Johnson and other senators want leadership elections delayed.
- Policy criticism: Josh Hawley questioned the party’s focus on Medicaid and rural hospital funding cuts.
- Uncalled races: Alaska and Mississippi could add to Republicans’ losses of at least seven Senate seats.
- Minority transition: Republicans must prepare to lose control when the new Congress begins in January.
Deep Look
Republican Meeting Ends Without Leadership Decision
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans emerged from two hours of closed-door discussions Tuesday without deciding whether to retain John Thune as their leader, exposing divisions over how the party should respond to its midterm defeat.
Senators were expected to reconvene in the afternoon. Thune, a South Dakota Republican, remained favored to win another term and faced no announced opponent.
But some colleagues questioned whether proceeding immediately with leadership elections would overlook the significance of losses that cost Republicans their Senate majority.
“We want to be thoughtful and do the right thing,” West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice said as the meeting ended.
He acknowledged that no clear alternative had emerged, while adding that “there is a legitimate argument that if we lost as badly as we lost, why would we continue on with the same leadership?”
At the same time, Justice said the current Republican leadership “didn’t cause this problem to happen.”
Johnson Pushes for Delay and “Soul-Searching”
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has circulated a letter seeking to postpone the conference’s closed-door, secret-ballot leadership elections.
“We need to have some real soul-searching,” Johnson said. “We can’t just continue on business as usual — that kind of defeat demands change.”
Republicans have lost at least seven Senate seats, with races in Alaska and Mississippi still uncalled.
Despite his concerns, Johnson conceded that no one else was challenging Thune.
“That’s part of our problem, who would want the job?” he said, before jokingly asking a reporter, “Do you want it?”
Leadership had declined to reschedule the elections, which also cover other Republican posts. Senators could still seek a vote to delay them.
Hawley Challenges GOP’s Healthcare and Spending Priorities
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley directed his criticism toward the party’s governing record, describing the midterms as “an incredible repudiation of the focus of this Congress for the last two years.”
He cited reductions to Medicaid and rural hospital funding in the sweeping tax and spending legislation Republicans passed last year. Hawley voted for that legislation after criticizing it.
He said he had not “heard any acknowledgement of that yet from leadership, which I think is extremely alarming,” and had not heard personally from Thune.
“I want to hear that we are going to have a different direction,” Hawley said, including policies aimed at lowering Americans’ costs.
His comments highlighted a broader question confronting Republicans: whether retaining their leaders would also mean retaining the priorities voters rejected.
Other Senators Want Election Results Fully Examined
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick said Republicans should wait until the election’s lessons have been “digested and debated” before selecting their leadership.
Indiana Sen. Jim Banks called for colleagues to “sit down and have a frank conversation about where we fell short.”
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who signed Johnson’s delay request, said the conference should wait until the outstanding Senate contests are resolved.
Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi remain uncertain of returning next year.
Those results could further shrink the conference and shape the group Thune would lead into the minority.
Thune Retains Support Despite Pressure for Change
Thune’s supporters argue that the conference should establish its leadership and begin preparing for the next Congress.
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said before the meeting that most senators were ready to move forward and that it was time to have “leadership in place.”
Oklahoma Sen. Jim Lankford said Thune “has widespread support” and backed holding elections while incoming Republican senators were already in Washington for orientation.
“It’s a pretty complicated role to be able to manage,” Lankford said. “No one wants that job.”
Thune said Monday that senators would have a “very fulsome, robust conversation about where we go from here and then we’ll see what the consensus of the conference is.”
“Ultimately that’s a decision made by Republican senators,” he said.
Trump Leaves Leadership Choice to Senators
Thune succeeded Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as Republican leader in early 2025.
He has generally supported President Donald Trump’s policies while resisting pressure to eliminate the legislative filibuster to pass voting legislation requiring proof of citizenship.
That refusal frustrated Trump and parts of his political base. Nevertheless, the president hosted Thune and his family at the White House in October and praised him Monday.
Thune is “a very fine man,” Trump said, adding that the leadership election is “up to the Senate.”
Thune’s relationships with colleagues and willingness to hear competing views remain central to his support within the conference.
Outgoing Majority Faces Unfinished Business
Republicans must resolve their leadership questions while completing the remaining work of their majority.
Congress needs to fund the government, and senators are considering areas for bipartisan cooperation. An energy permitting bill advanced Monday evening with support from both parties.
Republicans also hope to confirm as many Trump nominees as possible before Democrats take control in January.
Thune is expected to emphasize the conference’s legislative accomplishments, including its tax and spending package and efforts to improve the annual appropriations process.
On the Senate floor Monday, he called the election a “tough night” and said Republicans would work with Democrats where possible.
But he also warned that “the American people are not looking for socialist government and leftist fantasies.”
Democrats Also Face Leadership Questions
Democrats, who could hold as many as 56 seats next year, are discussing whether Chuck Schumer should continue leading their caucus.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin have considered challenges, although neither has announced a campaign.
Schumer retains substantial support after the party’s victories. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who led Democrats’ Senate campaign organization this cycle, predicted he would secure enough votes.
He “cares deeply, and he understands politics well,” she said.
For Republicans, Tuesday’s unresolved meeting showed that Thune’s expected reelection has not settled the larger argument over the party’s direction.
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