Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) announced Thursday he is running to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as Republican Senate leader when McConnell steps down in November—the first of three likely candidates to run for the position.
Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., John Thune, R-S.D., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and ... [+]
Cornyn said he believes “the Senate is broken” in a statement announcing his candidacy, while touting his role in helping “Trump advance his agenda through the Senate, including passing historic tax reform and remaking our judiciary.”
Cornyn’s announcement comes less than 24 hours after McConnell announced Wednesday he would step down in November, ending his tenure as the longest serving Senate leader in history.
Cornyn, along with Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), known as the “three Johns” on Capitol Hill and all close confidants to McConnell, top the shortlist of the most likely McConnell replacements.
Cornyn, the former GOP whip and former head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee who has served the longest Senate tenure of the three, said as recently as September he planned to run for leader when McConnell stepped down.
Thune, the current Senate GOP whip, has previously acknowledged the prospect of becoming GOP Senate leader, and told Punchbowl News on Wednesday in the wake of McConnell’s announcement: “We’ll let you know soon what we’re thinking . . . today we just want to reflect on his service and honor him.”
McConnell’s resignation is indicative of a shift away from the brand of traditional Reagan Republicans McConnell represented as former President Donald Trump has cemented his influence over the GOP—and the next leader will be challenged with navigating the dynamics of the party at an inflection point.
The Trump-aligned Senate faction is eyeing an insurgent candidate as a challenger to the three, Politico reported, citing multiple anonymous GOP senators, including one who said “the idea that it’s just between the ‘Three Johns’ is an outdated narrative from a year ago.” The senator suggested Trump’s allies in the Senate could use the House Freedom Caucus playbook that allowed the right-wing faction to use the GOP’s slim majority in the House to exert control over the House speaker by ousting former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and installing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
While all three leaders have endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign, Barrasso—the Senate Republican Conference chairman—is seen as the most conservative of the three and was the first to endorse him, while Thune and Cornyn have been critical of Trump in the past. Thune previously called Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election “inexcusable,” while Cornyn told Texas reporters last year he did not believe Trump could win another election.
Whether Democrats will maintain control of the Senate after the November general election and which party will win the White House. Democrats, who currently hold a 51-49 seat majority, are defending 23 seats in the November election, compared to 11 held by Republicans. The GOP is likely to hold on to all 11 seats as they are in likely or solidly Republican states, according to Cook Political Report’s 2024 forecast, while one of the Democrats’ seats is in a solidly Republican state, three are toss-up races and four lean Democratic. If Trump is elected, his influence would weigh heavily on the GOP’s leadership picks.
McConnell, 82, announced Wednesday he would step down as Senate leader after the November election, telling senators in a floor speech “it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter.” McConnell said he will serve out the remainder of his term until the end of 2026, but it’s unclear whether he will run for reelection. McConnell had a famously fraught relationship with Trump. He sharply criticized him for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and, in December, took a swipe at Trump’s comments that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.” On several occasions this session of Congress, McConnell has found himself powerless in his support of bipartisan legislation the Trump-aligned wing of his party opposed, including on the bipartisan border security bill Trump effectively killed and additional support for Ukraine. He is one of fewer than 20 Republican senators who have yet to endorse Trump’s latest White House bid. McConnell froze twice in front of reporters last year in what his team attributed to “lightheadedness,” did not mention his health in announcing his decision to step down Wednesday.
Senate leaders are elected by a majority vote of their respective parties, unlike the House speaker, who needs support from the majority of Congress to win the gavel.