REVEALED: McConnell’s Replacement as Senate GOP Leader

The race to determine the Senate Republican leader has officially come to a close.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) was eliminated in the first round of voting as the GOP selected a new leader to replace Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

During a secret ballot on Wednesday morning, none of the three contenders for GOP leadership received more than half of the votes, necessitating a second round per conference rules, where the candidate with the fewest votes would be disqualified. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) moved forward alongside Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), while Scott was eliminated.

On the second ballot, Thune emerged as the new Senate Republican leader.

Earlier this year, McConnell affirmed he’s “not leaving the Senate” and reiterated his commitment to challenging the “isolationist movement” within the Republican Party.

In an interview with WHAS radio host Terry Meiners, McConnell underscored his determination to use his remaining time in office to counter GOP members pushing to reduce U.S. support for allies like Israel and Ukraine.

Despite stepping down as leader, McConnell emphasized, “I’m not leaving the Senate.” He also stated, “I’m particularly involved in actually fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party and so many others as well.”

McConnell highlighted the importance of aiding Ukraine’s resistance against Russia, noting that the U.S. has invested billions in support.

He commented, “The symbol, lately, is ‘are we gonna help Ukraine or not?’ And I think it’s extremely important that we do that.”

Meiners observed that Kentucky’s GOP Sen. Rand Paul has criticized McConnell for being disconnected from Kentucky’s concerns.

“Paul would be the first one to say that he’s an isolationist. He has been all along. This is not anything new for him. And he and I have always disagreed on this kind of issue,” McConnell remarked, referring to Paul.

McConnell added that he finds it “more troublesome” that others seem to be “heading in that direction, making arguments that I think are easily refuted.”

He explained, “We’re not losing any of our troops; the Ukrainians are the ones doing the fighting. If the Russians take Ukraine, some NATO country would be next, and then we will be right in the middle of it.”

With dissatisfaction over McConnell’s tenure, several GOP senators have begun envisioning a “post-Mitch McConnell” era, expressing confidence that the party’s next leader in the Senate will be an improvement.

Some senators told The Daily Caller that McConnell’s approach, which centers heavily on his own leadership, no longer aligns with the current political environment and that collaboration among Republicans is essential.

In late February, McConnell revealed his decision to step down as Senate Republican leader this November. He confirmed he would complete his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.”

This announcement came amid mounting criticism of his work with pro-Ukraine Republicans, especially regarding efforts to secure more aid for Ukraine without concessions for border security from Democrats.

Following McConnell’s announcement, Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and John Thune (R-SD) declared their intentions to run for the position of Senate GOP Leader. Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who previously challenged McConnell’s leadership in 2020, was also reportedly considering a bid, according to The Daily Caller.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told the Caller that discussions are ongoing among the anti-establishment wing of the party, though no consensus candidate has emerged yet.

“No, we’ve had discussions, but I’ll leave it at that. We were having discussions before Leader McConnell announced his intention there. I mean, I think I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting that. But, again, I appreciate the fact that he did give us that heads-up. So we have this time,” Johnson stated.

Johnson praised Scott, saying, “From my standpoint, I’ll sing the praises of Rick Scott. He’s shown leadership. It was his tenacity that continued to schedule meetings with House members, week after week after week, really got us by the debt ceiling impasse. I’m not sure he gets enough credit for that.”

He further added, “It was Rick Scott who just week after week, even though we’re making no progress, continued to hold those meetings and had the leadership skill to track House members. And that was the final result. So he’s done that.”