John Thune becomes US Senate Majority Leader

An election was held for the Majority Leader in the Senate, one of the two legislative bodies of the US Congress. South Dakota Senator John Thune was elected as the Senate majority leader.

Thune, who was chosen by Republican senators, will take over the position from 82-year-old Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, who has served as the leader of the Republicans in the Senate since 2007.

Thune, who currently serves as the Senate Minority Whip, is expected to assume his duties as Senate Majority Leader in January, when the newly elected senators take office.

According to reports in the US press, in the secret ballot held behind closed doors, Thune received 29 votes, while his rival, Texas Senator John Cornyn, received 24 votes.

The reports noted that Florida Senator Rick Scott, who had previously presented himself as the candidate of President-elect Donald Trump and was supported by Trump's right-wing allies, received only 13 votes in the previous round of voting and was forced to withdraw from the race as he remained significantly behind the other candidates, Thune and Cornyn.

Born in 1961, Thune has been serving as a South Dakota Senator since 2005. Now in his fourth term in the Senate, Thune has also been serving as the Minority Whip since 2021.

News Source: İHA