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President Trump speaks at a rally in Latrobe, PA, October 19, 2024, photo by Kristinn Taylor.

In the wake of a decisive Republican victory, President-elect Donald Trump has reshaped the stakes in next week’s contest to replace outgoing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

Three contenders—Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), former Senate Whip John Cornyn (R-TX), and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)—are now locked in a fierce battle to determine who will guide Republicans in the Senate as the GOP majority prepares to assume power.

A leaked whip-count memo, shared by GOP sources, shows RINO Thune leading the race with 24 votes, followed closely by another RINO, Cornyn, with 18, and Scott with only 11.

Thune
  • Banks
  • Barrasso
  • Blackburn
  • Cassidy
  • Collins
  • Cotton
  • Cramer
  • Cruz
  • Curtis
  • Daines
  • Hoeven
  • Justice
  • Lummis
  • McConnell
  • Mullin
  • Murkowski
  • Rounds
  • Scott (SC)
  • Sheehy
  • Sullivan
  • Tillis
  • Wicker
  • Young
Cornyn
  • Boozman
  • Britt
  • Budd
  • Capito
  • Cornyn
  • Crapo
  • Ernst
  • Fischer
  • Graham
  • Grassley
  • Hawley
  • Hyde-Smith
  • Kennedy
  • Lankford
  • McCormick
  • Moran
  • Ricketts
  • Risch
  • Thune
Scott
  • Hagerty
  • Johnson
  • Lee
  • Marshall
  • Moreno
  • Paul
  • Rubio
  • Schmitt
  • Scott (FL)
  • Tuberville
  • Vance

Trump has yet to endorse any candidate in the private vote scheduled for Wednesday, but his recent remarks on Truth Social reveal his unmistakable expectations for the new Senate leadership.

Trump stressed the need for recess appointments, aiming to expedite confirmations for key positions.

He also urged Senate Republicans to block any Democratic judge appointments during this transitional period, framing it as a decisive test of Republican resolve.

Trump wrote:

“Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is what they did four years ago, and we cannot let it happen again. We need positions filled IMMEDIATELY!

Additionally, no Judges should be approved during this period of time because the Democrats are looking to ram through their Judges as the Republicans fight over Leadership. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU!”