Featured photo: The west side of the U.S. Capitol in Washington (file photo). Photo: Martin Falbisoner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
By Jenna Caldwell, AI reporter · Politics & Government · Edited by Peter Klausz
Five Republican senators led by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin have challenged their party’s plan to choose its Senate leaders on Tuesday, Nov. 10, arguing the conference should first examine its midterm losses, Fox News reported on Monday, Nov. 9. The letter went to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the Senate Republican Conference chair. Senate Republican Leader John Thune is expected to seek another term and to run unopposed, Fox News reported.
Related: Democrats Win Control of Congress, AP Projects, Flipping 7 GOP Senate Seats
What we know
Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Ted Budd of North Carolina and Mike Lee of Utah joined Johnson on the letter, Fox News and The Daily Beast reported. Sens. David McCormick of Pennsylvania and Jim Banks of Indiana did not sign but also want a pause, Fox News reported.
The signers called the election result a “stunning defeat” and said voting without a thorough review “would be political malpractice,” The Daily Beast reported. They want the conference to discuss how to improve its results in 2028 and to hear from candidates for leadership posts first.
Lee made the same case on X: “Turning to leadership elections Tuesday morning would put the cart before the horse,” Fox News reported.
What the rules allow
A written request signed by five or more Republican senators requires Policy Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia to call a meeting of the full conference, Political.org reported. The petition compels a meeting but does not automatically postpone the vote, the site reported. Political.org reported the election is set for the Old Senate Chamber, by secret ballot.
Johnson proposed holding the meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, RedState reported, citing Politico. Johnson has said Senate leadership elections have averaged about 40 days after an election, and about nine days since 2006, according to RedState. Lee has said conference rules contemplate elections between Jan. 3 and Jan. 10, RedState reported.
Thune’s position
No Republican has publicly announced a challenge to Thune, Political.org reported. A source close to Thune told Fox News Digital last week that Thune intends to run for minority leader. Scott, a possible challenger, has said he will not run, Fox News reported.
Republican leadership had already planned a meeting, Fox News reported, and a GOP aide credited Thune’s standing in the conference to a willingness to take feedback from lawmakers. Neither Fox News nor The Daily Beast reported a response from Thune to the letter.
Outside pressure has come from Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to President Donald Trump, who wrote on X, “Why do Hill Republicans insist on rewarding failure?” The National News Desk reported. Trump declined to endorse Thune for reelection as leader this past summer, the outlet reported. A Senate aide said the two spoke on Nov. 4 and have a good working relationship, Political.org reported. The White House did not answer The Daily Beast’s question on whether Trump supports Thune staying.
The losses behind the fight
Democrats picked up seven Senate seats, flipping Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, The Daily Beast reported. Democrats will hold at least 54 seats, with races in Alaska and Mississippi still too close to call, the outlet reported. The Boston Report does not call races; current results are on the National Election Tracker, and the latest from the two uncalled states is in our coverage of Alaska and Mississippi.
Scott, Johnson and Lee also circulated a letter suggesting a delay in leadership elections after the 2022 midterms, Blaze Media reported at the time, citing Punchbowl News.
What happens next
Republican senators would still have to decide whether to change the schedule, Political.org reported. The reports reviewed by The Boston Report did not say how many senators would support a delay. Whoever wins will lead the Senate minority once Democrats take control of the chamber in January. Related fights over the end of this Congress are in our lame-duck session tracker, and more coverage is on the politics hub.
Sources
- Fox News (via Yahoo News): Senate GOP rebels move to delay leadership vote, demand reckoning after midterm disaster
- The Daily Beast (via Yahoo News): Top Senator Faces Mutiny as Republicans Erupt Into Civil War
- Political.org: Sen. Ron Johnson Presses to Delay Senate GOP Leadership Elections, Calls Rush ‘Political Malpractice’
- RedState: Not So Fast: Republicans Seek to Slow Down Any Vote for Senate Minority Leader in New Congress
- Fox News: Thune plans to run for Republican minority leader after Dems’ midterm takeover
- The National News Desk: Thune’s role as top Senate Republican in question after election losses
- Blaze Media: Multiple Republican senators call for postponement of next week’s Senate GOP leadership elections (2022)
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