Senate Republicans reelected John Thune as their leader on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, for a second two-year term, after a tense day of closed-door meetings in the Old Senate Chamber about the midterm losses that cost the party its majority.
Thune ran unopposed and was elected by acclamation, with no ballots cast against him. Before the vote, the conference voted 31 to 15 to press ahead rather than postpone the leadership elections. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson had pushed to delay the vote.
The midterm losses
Democrats flipped Republican-held seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. Republicans will hold no more than 46 Senate seats when the new Congress convenes on 3 January 2027, when Thune becomes minority leader.
Races in Alaska and Mississippi remain uncalled. Chuck Schumer is the favourite to become majority leader when the new Congress takes office.
The rest of the team
The rest of the Republican leadership team was also reelected. John Barrasso stays as whip and becomes minority whip, Tom Cotton stays as conference chair, Shelley Moore Capito stays as policy chair, and James Lankford stays on. Bernie Moreno was elected NRSC chair for the 2028 cycle.
Thune, 65, from South Dakota, first won the leadership after the 2024 elections, succeeding Mitch McConnell. He now leads a party that must regroup in the minority after losing the chamber it held for two years.
For now, the leadership question is settled, and the focus shifts to the new Congress that convenes on 3 January, with Democrats in control of the Senate.
