Politics
Senate Republicans Re-Elect Thune as Leader, Rejecting Ron Johnson's Push to Delay
Conservatives wanted time to absorb the midterm losses before choosing leaders. Most of the conference said no.
By CLAIRE DONOVANStaff Correspondent · WASHINGTON · Nov 10, 11:00 AM · 1 min. read
Illustration · Liberty Bell Report
Senate Republicans on Tuesday re-elected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as their top leader.
The vote came after the conference rejected a last-minute bid by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to delay leadership elections, so members could digest the party's sweeping midterm losses and chart a new path. The New York Post described it as brushing aside a revolt from Thune's right flank.
Conservatives pushing for a delay argued that rushing the vote after a historic defeat was a mistake. The Daily Caller reported one critic called it "political malpractice".
Thune will now lead Republicans into the minority when Democrats take control of the Senate in January.
The Briefing Room's take: the party chose continuity. Whether that steadies Republicans or delays a reckoning with voters will be the story of the next two years.
Sources
- The Washington Times: Senate Republicans reelect Thune as top leader, rejecting push to delay internal election (link)
- Washington Examiner: Senate Republicans reject push to delay leadership election vote (link)
- New York Post: Senate Republicans re-elect John Thune as leader after midterm shellacking (link)
- The Daily Caller: Senate Republicans Rally To Freeze GOP Leadership Vote (link)
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