US Senate Republicans re-elect John Thune as leader
Thune ran unopposed on 10 November and will become minority leader in January after Republicans lost the Senate. Senator Josh Hawley said a delay might have allowed a challenger to emerge.
In this article
US Senate Republicans re-elected John Thune as their leader at a closed-door Capitol meeting on 10 November 2026. The South Dakota senator faced no challenger.
Thune is currently Senate majority leader, but Republicans lost control of the chamber in the midterm elections. He will become minority leader when the new Congress takes power in January.
Calls to delay the vote
Senator Ron Johnson circulated a letter seeking to postpone the decision so Republicans could examine their election losses. He acknowledged that nobody had stepped forward to challenge Thune, Al Jazeera said.
Hawley questioned the decision to rush into retaining the same leadership after the losses. He said a challenger might have emerged if Republicans had waited longer.
The next Congress
Thune pledged to work with President Donald Trump, advance conservative priorities and oppose the incoming Democratic majority’s agenda.
Democrats will still need Republican support for major Senate initiatives: the filibuster rule requires 60 votes for most legislation.
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