Senate Republicans vote to keep Thune as leader after steep election losses
Senate Republicans reelected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as leader of the GOP conference after a tense day of discussions about steep losses in the midterm elections that cost them their majority.
Thune was always expected to prevail, as he is popular with his GOP colleagues and was running unopposed in the secret ballot election. But Senate Republicans vented their frustrations in three separate meetings on Tuesday after an election wipeout that cost them at least seven Senate seats.
Some Republicans had tried to delay the leadership decision, but the conference voted to proceed, said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who had pushed to postpone. He walked out of the room as the voting began.
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio elected to lead House Republicans in the minority
Jordan won the race Tuesday to serve as House Republican leader as the GOP prepares for its new role in the minority.
Jordan, who serves as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, defeated Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana in a secret ballot election of Republicans who will serve in the next Congress. The vote was 106-73.
Jordan, 62, is a co-founder of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and served as its first chairman. His candidacy appealed to those looking for new leadership in the wake of last week’s election debacle and to those who like his hard-hitting political style. Jordan warned of the coming Democratic efforts on oversight, with numerous investigations of the Trump administration expected.