Public elections are all done in America this election cycle but still yet to come is leadership selections for U.S. Congress and state legislatures across the country.
Many people are now paying close attention to the leadership elections for the now Republican-majority U.S. Senate, where senators and senators-elect will vote by secret ballot Wednesday to determine their party’s leadership.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said on X (formerly Twitter) Monday she’s still uncommitted about which Republican candidate she’ll support as Senate majority leader. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment.
Barrasso is running unopposed for Senate whip, the No. 2 ranking Senate leadership position.
Who’s Running For Republican Leader?
Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, the No. 2 ranking Republican, is seen as the frontrunner for Senate majority leader, but he’ll face some stiff competition.
Thune is an establishment Republican hated by some MAGA loyalists. He’s competing for the top leadership position against Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida.
At times, both Thune and Cornyn have spoken against President-elect Donald Trump’s policies, while Scott has been in much more lockstep. Trump supported Scott’s campaign when he ran against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell two years ago, but he hasn’t publicly said who he’s supporting this go-round.
On Sunday, conservative political commentator Benny Johnson posted on X what he said was a leaked vote count from a “Senate Source.” In that count, both Lummis and Barrasso backed Thune.
Lummis reshared the post on her personal account, calling it “fake news.”
“Fake news! Whoever ginned this list up better not end up anywhere near the Majority Whip’s office, if we want reliable counts,” she said.
Lummis also pointed out that Johnson’s list strangely had Thune voting for Cornyn.
“I’m uncommitted, as are others on this list,” Lummis said. “GOP Senators are united (100 emoji) behind Trump’s agenda.”
Barrasso has made no recent social media posts about the leadership elections.
According to Federal Election Commission data, Cornyn gave $630,241 to Barrasso’s reelection campaign while Thune has given him $63,200 and Scott $988.75 over the past two years.
None of the leadership candidates have given any money to Lummis, who’s not up for reelection until 2026 and is not running for a leadership position.
Why It Matters
The stakes of this election are high as the new Senate majority leader will have significant influence over the party's ability to push through Trump’s judicial nominees, cabinet appointees and key legislative priorities. A new Republican Senate leader will be chosen for the first time since 2007, when McConnell first won the job.
Trump has said whoever is picked for majority leader should allow him to temporarily install appointments to federal vacancies without Senate approval during the Senate recesses.
"Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY!" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday.
According to The New York Times, Thune visited Trump’s compound at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, in March and spoke with Trump just days ago. Cornyn, the former Senate whip, has met with Trump twice in recent months and also speaks with him regularly.
But Thune said in an interview last week that his "preference" would be for Trump to stay out of the Senate leadership race. He issued a statement Sunday night following Trump's post, affirming his commitment to installing Trump's cabinet and desired appointments.
"One thing is clear: We must act quickly and decisively to get the president's cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we've been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments," Thune said in a statement. "We cannot let Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats block the will of the American people."
According to The New York Times, some of Trump’s closest allies are privately counseling him to try to block Thune from becoming majority leader and are pushing for him to impose his will more forcefully on the soon-to-be-majority GOP Congress.
The Times reports that the three leadership candidates are set to meet Tuesday night at a closed-door forum moderated by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.
On the Democratic side, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is expected to continue his role as his party’s leader.
The GOP leadership elections for the Wyoming Legislature will be held Nov. 23.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
