Republicans to huddle behind close doors to elect McConnell’s successor Wednesday

The incoming Senate Republican Conference will meet to hold secret ballot elections for several leadership positions on Wednesday morning, including the successor of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who will lead the Republican majority next year.

At 9:30 a.m., the conference for the 119th Congress will select a new leader, Republican whip, conference chair, Republican policy committee chair, vice conference chair and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRS) chair.

Those vying for the coveted leader role are Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rick Scott, R-Fla. 

On Tuesday, 42 GOP senators gathered for a leader candidate forum led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. Several of the lawmakers expressed satisfaction with how the discussion went, and Scott ended the evening by adding two additional endorsements. 

According to Lee, the Republicans discussed a range of issues, some procedural, some substantive, and some policy-oriented. 

President-elect Donald Trump notably has not made an endorsement in the Senate leader race. Scott’s race, however, has gained the support of high-profile Trump allies like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and X owner Elon Musk.

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Senate Republican conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., is running unopposed for whip, while Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is running unopposed for vice conference chair. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is unopposed in her bid for Republican policy committee chair and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is running unopposed for NRSC chair.

Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., will face off for the No. 3 GOP role of conference chair.

The Wednesday morning elections will take place in the old Senate chamber in the Capitol. Before each race, each candidate will have two nominating speeches from other senators. Then they’ll make their own case. There may be some discussion before senators vote, and the secret ballot will remain private unless individual senators decide to disclose who they chose. Even then, there is no way to verify.

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The elections could last for hours, with the 2022 elections lasting until 1 p.m. after Scott challenged McConnell in the leader race.

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In order to be elected, a candidate must receive a majority vote from the 53-member conference. This means they must garner 27 votes.

Senators will not assume the new roles until the new Congress begins in January.