WASHINGTON — Republicans in the U.S. Senate will face an critical decision for their chamber as well as the national party soon after Election Day when they choose a recent leader.
Once the election dust settles and the balance of power in the Senate is established, senators will gather behind closed doors to choose who will lead the conference. In January, this person will assume one of the most critical and influential roles in the US government, and will become an outstanding figure in transmitting information and raising funds for the Republican Party.
Texas Senator John Cornyn, Florida Senator Rick Scott and South Dakota Senator John Thune have publicly announced they are running for the position. Thune is currently minority whip and the No. 2 leader of the Senate Republican Party, and Cornyn held the position before him.
The lawmaker providing support from his colleagues will replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who since 2007 has led his party through three presidencies, numerous votes on disaster relief packages, the Covid-19 pandemic, two impeachments and the January 6 insurrection.
McConnell, who served as majority leader when Republicans controlled the Senate, has been at the center of dozens of key negotiations and ensured his position would be a boon for his home state of Kentucky.
The Republican who takes his place will have to navigate choppy political seas in the coming years as the GOP continues to cling to Reagan-era policies that many still value, while adapting to the brand of conservatism championed by the Republican nominee for president Donald Trump.
States Newsroom interviewed GOP senators to find out what qualities they think the next GOP leader should have to deserve their votes, as well as the challenges that person will face in the coming years.
While only one senator would volunteer their opinion on their favorite candidate, many said they were interested in a leader who would emphasize moving legislation through the chamber, listen carefully to members and build mighty ties with what they believed was the Trump administration.
In search of a workhorse
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said he is looking for a “competent” leader of the Republican Party who will listen to members and work behind the scenes.
“I don’t want to see leaders in TV ads, I don’t want them showing up in Senate races, I don’t want them being a deciding factor in the days before the election,” Hawley said. “I want someone who will be a workhorse and who will work with members to achieve our priorities and then see things through to the end.”
West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said the next GOP leader should stick to conservative priorities while still being able to negotiate bipartisan agreements during what is expected to be divided government. Democrats have slim control of the Senate, but Republicans are projected to likely win a majority in the election.
“I want someone who can be strong in the face of opposition, who will present strong arguments and not be afraid to push them to the other side if necessary, but also someone who will be able to step into the room and negotiate when things get tough,” she said.
Capito acknowledged that the outcome of the presidential election could influence who becomes the next Republican leader.
“(It) just depends on who wins,” she said.
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said his election would be “the most important vote I will ever take.”
“You vote for president, that’s important, but mine is one vote out of 150 million votes or whatever it is. But this vote will be one of hopefully 53, so I think it matters a lot,” Marshall said. “And I think it’s really important that we elect a majority leader who has the same priorities as, hopefully, President Trump.”
Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty said the overriding criteria for the next GOP leader is “the ability to get along well with President Trump and the incoming administration.”
“The first 100 days will count and we need to work very closely together to make sure we are successful,” Hagerty said.
There is no guarantee that voters will choose Trump as the next president in this year’s presidential election. The next leader of the Republican Party in the Senate may end cooperation with the administration led by the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
It would require whoever Republican senators choose to walk a tightrope on Cabinet secretary confirmation votes, judicial nominations, mandatory legislation and potentially a Supreme Court nominee.
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said he vets the candidates and selects the most intelligent, strategic, patient and inclusive candidate among them.
That person, Kennedy said, must also be “willing to compare his assumptions with the arguments of his critics and, if necessary, ask God for money.” McConnell is known as an extraordinary fundraiser for Republicans.
The power of guidance
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, said she would vote for a candidate who is willing to spend significantly more time debating and voting on bipartisan legislation.
“I think it’s a real problem,” Collins said. “I would like us to go back to the times when the committee chairmen were in power. And if they and their ranking members are able to introduce a bill, it will be scheduled for consideration on the floor.”
Collins, a moderate at a Senate conference packed with more conservative members, said she wants the future Senate Republican leader to recognize “that we are a big tent party and that we have to take an inclusive approach.”
North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, the top Republican on the Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee, said he wants the GOP leader to follow a “regular agenda on appropriations.”
“We get them through committee with bipartisan votes, but they don’t get to the floor,” Hoeven said of the dozen or so annual government funding bills. “We have to convince them to vote, there has to be an amendment process, we have to deal with the draft laws and return to voting on the laws, which is called normal order. I think the most important key for our future leader is the ability to do this.”
Alabama State Senator Katie Britt has begun interviewing the candidates and is assessing their plans for the Senate schedule, especially regarding debating and amending the annual government funding bills.
“I want to know how we will get the funding process back up and running; like how are we actually going to move the ball down the field,” Britt said. “I want to know how we actually embolden the committees and the committee process.”
Britt, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security Appropriations, expressed frustration with the amount of time allocated to confirming judicial nominations, which is advocated by both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, and McConnell.
Procedures in the Senate are much more time-consuming than the rules governing debate in the House. The legislative process could take weeks to advance through the filibuster process, which requires 60 votes for bills to pass and for leaders to negotiate which amendments will receive majority votes.
The Senate, unlike the House, is also responsible for vetting and confirming executive branch nominees, such as cabinet secretaries, as well as judicial nominees. 2025 with a recent president will mean many affirmative votes.
“When are we going to have a leader who really knows how to lead is going to put the appropriations bills on the floor and figure out how to embolden the members,” Britt said, adding that “a weak leader consolidates all the power and that’s unfortunately what I think we have right now.” when it comes to Chuck Schumer.”
“Getting Things Done”
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said whoever he votes for must “succeed in getting things done, done and done.”
“We have to be able to get our committees to work and get legislation passed, negotiated and moved,” Lankford said.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said whoever becomes the next GOP leader must be able to communicate well with senators.
That person “has to be someone who has a strategy and certainly knows how to work the floor. Fundraising is also part of it.”
Arkansas Sen. John Boozman said his vote will go to the person he believes is best at building consensus and listening to members, although he has not yet decided which of the three candidates he will support.
“I’m a real indecisive person,” Boozman said. “I think the reality is that most members just want the election to end. Until then, they don’t want to deal with it.”
Boozman said the results of the fight for control of the Senate in November’s elections could influence which candidate he and his colleagues choose to lead them in the next Congress.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said the next GOP leader should be in tune with GOP voters and the issues critical to them.
“He’s someone who I think has an affinity and a connection to where our voters are,” Rubio said.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley declined to name any qualities he thinks the next leader should have, saying he doesn’t want any of the three to second-guess his choice.
“I hate to tell you this because I told all three people who came to my office the same thing: ‘I won’t tell any of you.’ You are all my friends. You won’t know who I’m voting for,” Grassley said. “And if I answer your question, they’ll start wondering who I’m going to vote for.”
Grassley said the first major challenge for the next leader will be negotiating a 2025 tax bill that will take into account expiring elements of the 2017 Republican tax law.
Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran said character matters in determining who he will vote for, but added he hasn’t created a scorecard yet.
“I will have an idea who I will be voting for before the November election,” Moran said. “Those characteristics that I think are important would be important regardless of the composition of the House, the Senate and the White House.”
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson endorsed Scott for GOP leader, saying he preferred someone who was previously governor and worked in the private sector. He was the only senator interviewed by States Newsroom to reveal his vote, which will be held in a secret ballot.
He said Scott was “ready to tackle tough issues.”
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Republicans have “a lot of good choices” among the three candidates and that she needs someone who can carry the GOP message.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
