Who Is New GOP Senate Majority Leader, John Thune?

South Dakota Senator John Thune has been voted in as the Senate majority leader by Republicans. Thune has proved himself to be an ally to Donald Trump and will most likely help in enforcing the agenda that the Trump administration has for the United States. Thune achieved his position as Senate majority leader by a secret ballot vote and won over the GOP senators, securing his spot over his two competitors, Senator John Cornyn and Senator Rick Scott. Thune is stepping in for Mitch McConnell, who started serving as Senate majority leader in 2007.

Thune was born on January 7, 1961, in Pierre, South Dakota. Thune unexpectedly joined the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 as an initially overlooked candidate, and he began serving as a member of the Senate in 2004. Throughout the years, Thune grew in his political career and acted as the Republican party's whip. Thune seems to be overjoyed about the recent vote. "We have a mandate from the American people," Thune told journalists shortly following the announcement that he had won the vote. "I'm excited to get to work with this team right away. ... I promise to be a leader who serves the entire Republican conference."

John Thune seems ecstatic about becoming the next GOP Senate majority leader, and he declared his loyalty to Donald Trump's cabinet in an official statement. "I am extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th Congress, and I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House," Thune declared. "This Republican team is united behind President Trump's agenda, and our work starts today." However, this dedication to the 2024 president-elect is a bit perplexing since Thune criticized Trump years prior and stated that he thought Trump's claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him were false. 

Thune vows that he will attempt to create more unity among House Republicans by holding meetings with Mike Johnson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Additionally, the South Dakota senator claims that he will facilitate an issues conference for members of the GOP. Yet, Thune is not who the Trump administration originally vouched for when it came to the GOP Senate majority leader vote. Many of Trump's biggest allies, like Elon Musk and RFK Jr., were in favor of Florida Senator Rick Scott over Thune. However, despite past disagreements with Trump and not being the first pick of the President-elect's associates, it seems that Thune's win will help Trump achieve his goals since the South Dakota senator has been supportive of Trump since the vote.