Senate Republicans Weigh Thune’s Leadership as Calls for Change Grow/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Senate Republicans are scheduled to choose their leaders Tuesday, with John Thune running unopposed despite the party’s loss of its majority. Several senators want to delay the vote until Republicans examine their election setbacks and unresolved races in Alaska and Mississippi are decided. Democrats are also discussing their leadership, although Chuck Schumer retains substantial support after the party’s sweeping victories.
Quick Look
- Leadership vote: Senate Republicans plan closed-door, secret-ballot elections Tuesday.
- Thune favored: The South Dakota senator is running unopposed and is expected to remain leader.
- Delay demands: Ron Johnson and other Republicans want more time to assess the election defeat.
- Seven seats lost: Republicans have lost at least seven Senate seats, with two additional races uncalled.
- Minority ahead: Thune would lead Senate Republicans into the minority when the new Congress begins Jan. 3.
- Trump’s position: The president praised Thune but said the decision belongs to senators.
- Democratic debate: Schumer faces questions about his future, but no challenger has announced a campaign.
Deep Look
Thune Faces Leadership Vote After Republicans Lose Senate Majority
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans are preparing to decide whether to retain John Thune as their leader Tuesday, opening an internal debate over how to rebuild after midterm losses that ended their majority.
Thune, a South Dakota Republican who became leader in early 2025, is expected to win another term. He remains popular among colleagues and faces no announced opponent.
However, several senators argue that holding leadership elections just one week after the defeat risks moving forward before the party understands what went wrong.
“We need to have some real soul-searching,” said Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who circulated a letter requesting a delay.
“We can’t just continue on business as usual — that kind of defeat demands change.”
Calls for Delay Reflect Broader Republican Unease
Republicans have lost at least seven Senate seats. Unresolved races in Alaska and Mississippi could further reduce their numbers, leaving uncertainty over whether Sens. Dan Sullivan and Cindy Hyde-Smith will return next year.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who signed Johnson’s letter, said leadership elections should wait until those contests are decided.
Other senators want more time to examine the causes of the party’s losses.
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick said over the weekend that Republicans should not select their leader until the election’s lessons have been “digested and debated.”
Indiana Sen. Jim Banks similarly called for Republicans to “sit down and have a frank conversation about where we fell short.”
Johnson acknowledged that no alternative candidate had emerged.
“That’s part of our problem, who would want the job?” he said, before jokingly asking a reporter, “Do you want it?”
Thune Promises Debate but Plans to Proceed
Thune said Monday that leadership elections would proceed as scheduledalthough senators could seek a vote to postpone them when they gather Tuesday morning.
He promised 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.
The elections will cover other Republican leadership positions as well as Thune’s post.
Sen. Jim Lankford of Oklahoma said Thune “has widespread support” and backed holding the elections while incoming Republican senators were already in Washington for orientation.
Leading the conference is “a pretty complicated role to be able to manage,” Lankford said. “No one wants that job.”
Relationship With Trump Includes Cooperation and Friction
Thune succeeded Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as Republican leader in early 2025 and has spent much of his tenure managing relations with President Donald Trump.
Although he has supported most of Trump’s policies, Thune resisted the president’s demands to eliminate the legislative filibuster to pass voting legislation requiring proof of citizenship.
That position frustrated Trump and angered parts of his political base.
Nevertheless, Trump hosted Thune and his family at the White House in October and praised him Monday as “a very fine man.”
The leadership election is “up to the Senate,” Trump said.
Thune has emphasized consultation with senators holding different views and maintained close relationships across the Republican conference, helping preserve support despite the election outcome.
Outgoing Majority Faces a Crowded Final Agenda
The leadership debate comes as Republicans attempt to finish their work before Democrats assume control of the Senate in January.
Lawmakers must fund the government and determine whether bipartisan agreements remain possible during the closing weeks of the session.
An energy permitting bill advanced Monday evening with support from both parties, offering one example of potential cooperation.
Republicans also want to confirm as many Trump nominees as possible before the new Congress begins Jan. 3.
In his first Senate floor remarks since the election, Thune described the result as a “tough night” and outlined a willingness to negotiate with Democrats while opposing policies Republicans reject.
“The American people are not looking for socialist government and leftist fantasies,” he said.
Democrats Debate Schumer’s Future Despite Election Gains
Democrats, who could hold as many as 56 Senate seats next year depending on outstanding results, are conducting their own discussions about leadership.
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York faces criticism from different wings of his caucus. Some candidates declined during the campaign to commit to supporting him for another term.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin have considered challenging Schumer, but neither has announced a bid.
Calls for generational change have persisted, although Schumer appears to retain broad support after the Democratic victories.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, his New York colleague and chair of the Democratic Senate campaign organization, predicted he would secure enough votes to remain leader.
Beyond winning back the Senate, Schumer “cares deeply, and he understands politics well,” Gillibrand said.
For both parties, the leadership discussions will help shape how the next Senate operates: Democrats preparing to exercise their majority and Republicans deciding how to respond from the minority.
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