Republicans elected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as president. senate Majority Leader Wednesday.
Thune defeated Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as leader of the Republican caucus.
Mr. Thune is Mr. McConnell’s current aide, and Mr. Cornyn previously held that post.
Republicans are expected to maintain their majority in the Senate for the next two years starting in early January. Democrats currently control the majority of the House of Representatives.
President-elect Donald Trump did not endorse a candidate in the race for majority leader, but he has long been critical of Kentucky lawmaker McConnell, who announced earlier this year that he would not retain the leadership post he held for 18 years. .
And many of Trump’s allies, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and conservative commentators Tucker Carlson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., supported Scott.
Thune and Cornyn have criticized Trump before.
Scott received the fewest votes of the three candidates and was defeated in the first round of closed-door voting held in the old Senate chamber of the U.S. Capitol.
Thun defeated Cornyn 29-24 in the second round.
The vote came a week after Republicans secured control of the chamber by winning four seats in last week’s election.
The Democratic Party does not plan to hold a leadership election until early December.
“I am deeply honored to have the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate,” Thune said in a statement. “This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s policies, and our work begins today.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, congratulated Thune on his victory and said, “I look forward to working with him.”
