The battle for leadership in the Senate could pit MAGA against the ‘establishment’ after Trump’s resounding victory

As newly elected President Donald Trump prepares to retake the Oval Office, a race for leadership in the Senate is underway to replace longtime Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Trump’s resounding victory in the presidential contest could shake up the race, pitting the MAGA wing and the traditional wing against each other.

There is no question that, after several Senate victories for key Republicans in the 2024 elections, the House is friendlier than ever to President Trump as he returns to office after a four-year hiatus. As many as four new senators could owe their elections to Trump’s victory, if Arizona’s Kari Lake or Nevada’s Sam Brown emerge victorious after all votes are counted.

The three leading candidates are now trying to show they have the MAGA capabilities to lead the Senate at a time that will be crucial to Trump’s second-term agenda. Congress will soon face several challenges, including renewing Trump’s 2017 tax cuts before they expire and facilitating the new administration’s reforms. plans to secure the borderAnd scaling back what Republicans see as wasteful federal spending from the Biden era.

But two candidates for the role, John Thune of North Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas, have both worked in leadership and are close allies of outgoing establishment leader McConnell. In addition to sharing a first name, they have both been critical of Trump in the past, especially after the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, and expressed concern about a third Trump candidacy.

Thune specifically angered Trump when he said the Senate would reject any challenges to the electoral votes in the 2020 election, which Trump claimed were plagued by fraud. As a result, Trump and his allies attempted to remove Thune from office by supporting a primary challenger, although the effort was ultimately unsuccessful. Both Thune and Cornyn have recently smoothed over their relationship with Trump after it became clear he would be the Republican nominee and likely winner of the presidential race.

But the third contender, Florida Senator Rick Scott, is the most Trump-friendly candidate in the race and is promising sweeping reforms to the way the Senate would operate under Republican control. Trump’s resounding victory could give the two-term senator a necessary boost.

Scott made headlines when he launched a failed bid to replace McConnell in the aftermath of the 2020 election, promising changes in the way the GOP would operate in the Senate, including less compromise with Democrats on key issues.

Scott came to the chamber after the 2018 election, after eight years as Florida’s governor. After his election, he took on a leadership position for the 2022 elections as chairman of the National Republican Senate Committee, the campaign arm tasked with increasing the Republican margin in the Senate.

A mediocre performance in the elections is a black mark on Scott’s record, fueled by accusations of financial mismanagement at the group. Tensions between Scott and McConnell also rose during the cycle over the first ‘12 point plan to save America.” This tension ultimately led Scott to launch his leadership challenge against McConnell to reform the leadership.

In a letter distributed to colleagues announcing his candidacy this time, Scott wrote promised similar leadership reformsincluding restoring the regular appropriations process, giving senators ample time to review legislation before voting, and pledging never to pressure colleagues to vote on anything that goes against voters’ interests.

“President Trump needs a Senate that supports his Cabinet, the Supreme Court and judicial appointments,” Scott said posted on X on Friday. “He needs a Senate leader who supports his vision for America.”

So far, President-elect Trump has not endorsed any leadership candidate. This decision does not appear to bother Senator Thune, who has publicly said he believes it is in Trump’s “best interests” to stay out of the race.

“I’m in regular contact with him and his team and if he wants to he can obviously have a significant influence on that, but to be honest I think it’s my preference and I think it’s probably best to stay out of it ”, Thune said to CNBC’s Joe Kernen.

“These secret ballot elections for the Senate are probably best left to the senators and he should work with all of us when it’s all said and done,” he added.

However, Thune has publicly spoken negatively about Trump’s 2016 and 2024 candidacies and his criminal charges several times, which could make it difficult for the senator to portray himself as best positioned to work with Trump’s agenda . After the 2022 midterm elections, when a reporter asked Thune if he would support Trump if he were the nominee, said the senator “I hope we have other options, and I think we will have other options.”

Thune also deflected when asked whether he would support Trump if convicted on state fraud charges in New York. “I’m not…we’ll see how the process turns out,” Thune said in response to reporters.

In 2016, Thune called on Trump to drop out of the presidential race after the release of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape was made public. “Donald Trump should withdraw and Mike Pence should be our nominee immediately,” Thune wrote on Twitter, now X.

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Trump called for a primary challenge to fire Thune after the senator said any efforts to challenge the certification of Joe Biden’s victory would be “like a bull’s eye.”

“I just don’t think there’s a lot of point in putting everyone through this when you know what the ultimate outcome is going to be,” Thune said at the time.

In the aftermath of January 6, Senator Cornyn opposed then-President Trump’s second impeachment, but suggested he could be held accountable after leaving the office.

“Theoretically, once the president leaves office, he could be charged with incitement of insurrection,” Cornyn said said at the time. “That would be a possibility, if the evidence actually supported it.”

Cornyn did not say whether he believed the president’s conduct that day was within the standard, but called his language “reckless.”

At least one senator is publicly urging Trump to put his finger on the scale for Scott. Senator Ron Johnson, who has supported Scott’s bid, called on Trump on Thursday to support Scott. “Jesse, if you have any influence on President Trump, ask President Trump to come out publicly and say he wants to work with someone as talented as Rick Scott to advance his agenda,” Johnson said in a statement. interview with podcast host Jesse Kelly. .

Sen. Josh Hawley announced his support for Cornyn on Friday, citing the Texas senator’s efforts to raise $33 million in funds to support his colleagues’ re-election bids.

On this point, Senators Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., have endorsed Thune.