US Senate Republicans have chosen South Dakota Senator John Thune to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader.

Thun was selected after two rounds of a secret ballot which took place behind closed doors on Wednesday morning, where outgoing and newly elected senators voted.

McConnell said in a news release that Thune’s election “is a clear endorsement of an accomplished leader.”

“The confidence our colleagues have placed in John’s legislative experience and policy skills is well-deserved,” McConnell said. “The American people elected Republicans to restore stability and order after four years of failure by Democrats in Washington. John Thune will take the reins with a tremendous opportunity to lead this transformation, and Senate Republicans have his back, ready to get to work.”

Thun is currently the Republican whip and was first elected to the Senate in 2004. Although he initially supported South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, he later supported President-elect Donald Trump and worked to repair his relationship with Trump.

The other candidates who presented themselves were Texas Senator John Cornyn, who also served as whip, and Florida Senator Rick Scott. While Cornyn has a long-standing relationship with McConnell, Scott is a longtime critic of McConnell who has been supported by some Trump allies, including Elon Musk and some senators close to Trump.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul announced his support for Rick Scott on X, formerly known as Twitter, days before Wednesday’s election.

McConnell announced earlier this year that he would step down as leader, but would remain in office and serve out his term which ends in January 2027. His decision ended his career as the longest-serving Senate party leader in history of the United States. He has been Republican leader since 2007.

Moving forward, McConnell has said it many times that he will focus on fighting isolationism. McConnell, 82, is also the longest-serving senator and has not said whether he plans to seek re-election to the Senate.

This story has been updated with a statement from McConnell.

Contact reporter Hannah Pinski at @[email protected] or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.

This article was originally published in the Louisville Courier Journal: Mitch McConnell reacts to the election of the next Senate majority leader