Waiting In The Senate GOP Leadership's Wings: The Three Johns

Senate Republican leadership will take on a much more Western look if some of the most likely contenders to follow Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are successful.

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Barrasso (R-Wy.) are the leading candidates at this early stage, as all three are either currently in or have recently been a part of GOP Senate leadership. While the trio may share a first name, they would likely forge at least slightly different paths for the party.

It may take a few days to know whose hats will officially be in the ring, given both the Senate’s clubby nature and the backroom nature of party leader contests. Cornyn, however, told reporters Wednesday, “I’ve made no secret of my intentions,” a strong hint that he’s going to run.

Thune is the current party whip, making him McConnell’s top deputy. While conservative, the square-jawed Thune (who once made the political paper The Hill’s “50 Most Beautiful People On Capitol Hill” list) is seen as an effective advocate for Republican views on television.

Thune has put in his time, as well. He served three terms in the House before losing a Senate race in 2002. He was elected to the upper chamber finally in 2004, and moved up the Senate leadership ladder from leading the Republican Policy Committee and the Republican conference to his current No. 2 party spot.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was Thune’s predecessor as whip between 2013 and 2019. Tall and affable, Cornyn appears well-liked within the conference and, like Thune, is known as press-friendly in a party that has seen its members become increasingly antagonistic toward the media. Cornyn’s sway was display in 2022 when he helped negotiate and get GOP support for a bipartisan gun safety bill. Cornyn was first elected in 2002 and has not faced a tough re-election race yet.

The third John, Barrasso, is a relative newcomer, by Senate standards, and is the only one of the three facing an election this year. (Given Wyoming’s deep Republican tilt, Barrasso is not considered endangered.) Barrasso is considered more conservative than Cornyn or Thune, which could help him if ideological concerns dominate the race for McConnell’s successor. He was appointed to the Senate in 2007 to replace the late GOP Sen. Craig Thomas and won his first election in 2008. As chairman of the Republican conference, he is the third-ranking Republican in the Senate.

McConnell often clashed with former President Donald Trump publicly and privately and announced his planned retirement from party leadership without saying whether he would endorse Trump’s newest run for the White House.

All three Johns have endorsed Trump, however, though at different times and with different degrees of enthusiasm.

Barrasso was first out of the gate, giving his thumbs-up to Trump on Jan. 9 when he told Fox News host Sean Hannity, “The people of Wyoming and all your viewers of course know the country was much better off under President Donald Trump.”

Cornyn followed suit after Trump won the GOP primary in New Hampshire, posting on social media Jan. 23, “I have seen enough. To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it’s clear that President Trump is Republican voters’ choice.”

Thune was the last to bend the knee, waiting until Sunday to announce his endorsement after Trump’s win in the South Carolina primary Saturday. Thune had told CNN earlier he worried Trump could be a liability for congressional races: “If we want to get the majority, we need a strong showing at the top of the ticket that translates into some down-ballot success.”

Trump’s influence over the party is likely to increase with news of McConnell’s stepping aside as leader — so the field of contenders could also grow.

Rep. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) — who served from 2021 to 2023 as head of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, which in charge of getting more Republicans elected to the Senate — could be a contender if the party decides to take a more Trump-friendly turn.

Scott ran against McConnell in 2022 for the top spot, but reportedly gathered only 10 votes to McConnell’s 37. In a social media post Wednesday, Scott hinted he was likely to run. “This is an opportunity to refocus our efforts on solving the significant challenges facing out country and actually reflect the aspirations of voters,” he said.

Scott, along with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), has been among the most outspoken Republicans opposed to sending further weapons to Ukraine. After the collapse of a bipartisan bill tying border security improvements to foreign aid, Scott and Barrasso voted against a skinnier bill afterwards that only included foreign aid. Cornyn and Thune voted with McConnell in favor of that aid-only bill.

McConnell, in announcing his intent to step aside, said he wanted to stay in the top post until November, so leadership contests could be held after the general election.

But it’s not clear McConnell will get his wish. Some of his opponents within the conference ― as well as outside of it ― would like to see him replaced earlier.

“Why wait so long?” asked Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who called on McConnell to step down more than a year ago. “November is a long time away. I think he should go now.”

Asked if he thinks McConnell will be a lame-duck leader for the rest of the year, with less influence than he has now, Hawley replied, “Oh, clearly. Clearly.”

Over in the House, some Republicans who have often clashed with their Senate counterparts celebrated McConnell’s announcement, even though they have no say in his future. The House Freedom Caucus, a group of the House GOP’s most conservative and libertarian members, mocked McConnell’s party affiliation in a social media post, labeling him as “D-Ukraine.”

“No need to wait till November… Senate Republicans should IMMEDIATELY elect a *Republican* Minority Leader,” the group said.

Jennifer Bendery contributed to this story.

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