Republicans elected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as the next Senate majority leader on Nov. 13, 2024, completing a momentous shift in their leadership that elevates a top deputy of Mitch McConnell into a key position as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. Thune, 63, is in his fourth Senate term and has promised to work closely with Trump, despite differences the two have had over the years, and will be a crucial part of the incoming president’s efforts to push through his policy agenda. In a statement, Thune said he was “extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues.” “This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today,” he said. Thune beat out two other competitors, Sens. John Cornyn and Rick Scott, by gaining majority support from GOP senators in a secret ballot vote in two rounds of voting. Scott was eliminated on the first round and the final vote between Thune and Cornyn was 29-24, according to several people who requested anonymity to discuss the private meeting. Republicans are replacing McConnell, the longest serving Senate party leader, as they prepare to take majority control of the Senate with the 53 seats they won in last week’s elections. Much of the campaign centered around the candidates' relationship with Trump. Thune has worked to smooth his over after breaking publicly with Trump over the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he called “inexcusable.” In recent months, Thune has realigned with Trump, visiting him in his Florida home, and the two have been consulting on how to implement the incoming president’s agenda. Thune told The Associated Press over the summer that he views their potential relationship as a professional one. If they both win their elections, Thune said, “we’ve got a job to do.” 00:00 - John Thune 2:02 - John Barrasso 3:40 - Tom Cotton 4:21 - Shelley Moore Capito 6:07 - James Lankford 7:11 - Tim Scott 8:04 - Questions from press