Who Will Replace Mitch McConnell? Race To Be Next GOP Senate Leader

Senate Republicans are due to choose Mitch McConnell’s successor as their leader in the upper chamber, with three GOP lawmakers in the running.
Senators John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas, and Rick Scott of Florida, have announced their intentions to replace McConnell as the Senate Republican leader. It is unclear who is the favorite in the race, with most GOP senators not yet publicly endorsing any candidate.
The internal vote will take place on November 13, reported Axios and Punchbowl News. The Kentucky senator, 82, announced in February that he would step down as the longest-serving Senate leader following the upcoming general election.
There has not been a truly competitive election for the GOP Senate leader position since 2007, when McConnell was first elected to the role. The vote will not only decide McConnell’s successor, but potentially the next Senate majority leader if the GOP manages to regain control of the upper chamber from the Democrats at the November 5 elections.
Among the key issues the candidates are likely to decide on are whether to impose term limits on Senate leaders to prevent another 18-year reign like McConnell’s, and whether to scrap the Senate filibuster.
Newsweek has reached out to the offices of Thune, Cornyn and Scott for comment via email.
Speculation about a potential replacement for McConnell began to arise in 2023 after the Kentucky senator experienced several apparent health episodes.
Mark Shanahan, associate professor of political engagement at the U.K.’s University of Surrey, told Newsweek the race to replace McConnell “realistically” comes down to Thune and Cornyn as Scott has been more “preoccupied defending his Florida senate seat rather than burnishing his credentials with fellow GOP senators” in recent months.
“At this stage, Thune probably has the upper hand. As Republican Whip, he’s de facto number two in the GOP pecking order in the Senate, and is seen as both a strong and active campaigner and fundraiser, lending his support this fall across the country in numerous races,” Shanahan said.
“On the other hand, Cornyn would bring considerable Texan wealth to GOP coffers if he was to land the role—and is no mean campaigner himself.”
Cornyn and Thune are both loyal supporters of McConnell who have occasionally spoken out against former President Donald Trump. Both senators eventually endorsed the former president during primary season.
Scott is a top ally of Trump and a frequent critic of McConnell, including launching an unsuccessful to bid to unseat him as GOP Senate leader in 2022.
The Kentucky senator won reelection over Scott in a 37 to 10 vote. McConnell later removed Scott from the powerful Commerce Committee.
“There’s every chance that the winner of the leadership contest will be Senate majority leader after the election, and thus will fulfill a crucial role,” Shanahan told Newsweek. “Neither Thune or Cornyn is close to Donald Trump, and may have to act as a necessary brake on some of his more outlandish proposals if he returns to the White House.
“Yet a Kamala Harris win could mean four years of opposing the Democrat agenda and neither Republican appears the type to break the hyperpartisan divide the Senate has fallen into in recent years.”
Trump reportedly wanted Montana’s Steve Daines, chief of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to replace McConnell, but the latter recently told Semafor he was “not going to run for majority leader.” The Hill reported on Thursday that he was in fact telling fellow colleagues that he would support Senate Republican Whip John Thune, citing sources familiar with the conversations.
Thune, 63, confirmed his intention to run for the GOP Senate leadership position in March.
When asked by a South Dakota news station if he wanted to be GOP Senate leader, Thune replied: “Well, I hope to be, and I’m going to do everything I can to convince my colleagues—they’re the voters; they’re the ones who ultimately make the decision.”
Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who has publicly endorsed Thune to replace McConnell, said earlier this year that the Senate Republican whip was the frontrunner. “There’s still a lot of room, but I think at this point, it’s definitely Thune’s to lose,” Mullin told Politico.
Thune has long spoken out against the calls from Trump and Democrats to scrap the 60-vote supermajority requirement for passing major legislation in the Senate.
“Our members are committed to preserving it,” Thune told Punchbowl News in May. “As much as we want to work with Trump…we’re going to have to do it the old-fashioned way and cobble together the types of majorities that enable us to get to the 60-vote threshold.”
Thune has indicated he is open to discussing term limits on the next Republican leader but has not given a clear stance.
Thune announced his plans to run for GOP Senate leader just days after Cornyn, 72, the former GOP whip, revealed his candidacy to replace McConnell.
“I believe the Senate is broken—that is not news to anyone. The good news is that it can be fixed, and I intend to play a major role in fixing it,” Cornyn said in a statement in February.
Cornyn is opposed to scrapping the Senate filibuster and has been vocal in his desire to implement term limits on Senate leaders.
“One reason I am running to be the next Republican Leader is because I believe the Senate needs more engagement from all of my colleagues, and that includes the opportunity for any Member to serve in Leadership,” Cornyn posted on X, formerly Twitter, in March.
“I will support a conference vote to change the rules and institute term limits for the Republican Leader.”
Scott, 71, who is seeking election to his U.S. Senate seat in Florida on November 5, declared in May his intention to run for Senate Republican leader.
“This is not a time to make small adjustments; I believe we need a dramatic sea change to save our country and that’s why I’m running to be Republican leader,” Scott wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter.
He also said he would work more with Republicans in the House as leader and vowed to Senate Republicans he would “never surprise you with legislation and ask that you vote on something you haven’t had an opportunity to review.”
Scott is also calling for maximum six-year limit a Republican can serve as Senate leader.
“I don’t know what for sure is going to happen, but there’s some people that think there’s no question that we’re going to have term limits going forward,” Scott told Axios in June.
Scott is considered the outsider bet to replace McConnell, though he may garner support from other MAGA senators in the upper chamber.
McConnell and Trump have clashed several times over the years, particularly since the January 6 attack at the Capitol in 2021.
The Kentucky senator reportedly referred to the former president as a “despicable human being” and said that Trump’s MAGA movement has “done a lot of damage” to the Republican Party.
These comments are detailed in an upcoming biography of McConnell, The Price of Power, written by the Associated Press deputy Washington bureau chief, Michael Tackett, according to ABC News.
Utah Senator Mike Lee recently called on Thune and Cornyn to react to the comments.
“Those running for Senate GOP leadership posts need to weigh in on this & commit never to sabotage Republican candidates & colleagues—particularly those who are less than two weeks away from a close election,” Lee posted on X.
Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming was previously considered a potential candidate to succeed McConnell as GOP Senate leader.
Barrasso, currently the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, will instead seek the No. 2 whip position being vacated by Thune. Barrasso is expected to oversee the November 13 proceedings.