Unlike their colleagues in the House, U.S. senators vote for their party leaders behind closed doors, on a secret ballot… but a few senators are publicly stirring palace intrigue.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell is retiring from his post as Senate Republican Leader, and he’s opened a competitive race for a replacement.
On Tuesday, Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso made his move, and he narrowed the race down to two frontrunners.
Barrasso, often mentioned as McConnell’s possible successor, decided against running for the Senate GOP’s top spot. Instead, he announced a run for another position.
“After a lot of thought, I will ask my colleagues for their support and help to work for them as the Assistant Republican Leader,” the Senate’s third-ranked Republican said in a statement.
Given Barrasso’s lack of interest, Senate Republicans look likely to choose between two options: Texas Sen. John Cornyn and South Dakota Sen. John Thune.
On Monday, Thune fielded questions about whether he was interested in McConnell’s job. Thune told Dakota News Now, “I am.”
Thune described McConnell’s retirement as “a chance for a reset,” adding, “I’d like to be a part of it.”
Cornyn served as the Senate’s second-ranked Republican until reaching a term limit in 2019. Since then, Thune has held the position. Thune has the advantage of incumbency, but Cornyn attracted attention for his fundraising prowess during his tenure as National Republican Senatorial Committee chair. He announced his interest in the position in a statement Thursday.
Other senators still have time to announce their candidacies. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., ran against McConnell last year, and on Monday, he went on Twitter to stir speculation about another run.
Take a look —
Great to see President Trump tonight!
We’re going to continue working together to win big in 2024 and fix Washington. pic.twitter.com/hsdgGJFfqA
— Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) March 5, 2024
McConnell became the Senate’s top-ranked Republican in 2007. At the time, most of the Senate’s current Republicans hadn’t even been elected yet.
“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time,” McConnell said on the Senate floor last week. “I have many faults, misunderstanding politics is not one of them.”
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.