US Senate Republicans will select a new leader in response to pressure from Trump supporters

In the face of a public pressure campaign by fans of President-elect Donald Trump who back the longshot bid of a staunch Trump loyalist, U.S. Senate Republicans will meet behind closed doors on Wednesday to choose their next leader.

The 82-year-old Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, will be replaced by a secret ballot vote by Republican senators, who secured a majority in last week’s election, at 9:30 a.m. ET (14:30 GMT).

The front-runners for a large portion of the behind-the-scenes race have been Senators John Thune and John Cornyn, two seasoned lawmakers who are generally viewed as institutionalists. However, a number of Trump supporters, including billionaire Elon Musk and conservative pundits Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, have strongly advocated for Trump loyalist Rick Scott to be elected.

Trump, who has not supported a candidate but has urged the next Republican leader to grant him the flexibility to select Cabinet appointments without the customary hearings and votes, has turned the typically clubby contest into an early test of Senate independence. Each of the three candidates immediately indicated that they were amenable to the concept.

Republicans are expected to hold a majority of at least 52-48 in the Senate. Trump would have a ruling trifecta in national politics if they were to maintain their majority in the House of Representatives.

However, some of Trump’s most vocal fans have voiced worries that Cornyn and Thune, who have both collaborated closely with McConnell, may not be willing to fulfill any of Trump’s campaign pledges.

“Without Rick Scott, the entire Trump reform agenda wobbly,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Trump adviser, wrote on X.

Due to public pressure, a number of Senate Republicans have resisted the notion of merely voting in favor of Scott. They claimed that the majority leader position calls for someone who has invested time in fostering camaraderie and trust within the caucus.

There is a conflict between public calls for the president-elect to support Scott and private pleas from Senate Republicans for him to withdraw from the race, since some of Scott’s backers believe he is unlikely to win without Trump’s endorsement.

“A few of us have discussed not participating in the race with President Trump. According to Thune supporter Senator Markwayne Mullin, “I don’t think it’s worth the president using the political capital that he has to weigh in on the race.”

Thune, now McConnell’s top lieutenant, and Cornyn, who previously served in the same capacity, are seasoned lawmakers who have supported the campaigns of other Republican candidates and fellow Senate incumbents as well as helped pass significant legislation through Congress.

Scott is currently in the middle of his first six-year Senate term.

When asked about the pressure campaign, Thune responded, “We’re just keeping our heads down, doing the work and leaving it in the hands of the voters.”

Scott, who was elected to the Senate after serving as Florida’s governor for eight years, expressed gratitude to his supporters. “I assume they’ve watched what I’ve done over the last 14 years in my job as governor and my job up here, and they think I would do a good job,” he said.

Regarding the pressure campaign, Cornyn refused to comment.