WASHINGTON — A looming battle among Senate Republicans over who to choose as their next majority leader is turning into an early test of how much power President-elect Donald Trump’s MAGA movement will wield in his second term.

The three-way fight to replace outgoing Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky pits Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota against John Cornyn of Texas, McConnell’s former congressman, and outsider candidate Rick Scott of Florida.

The battle will test the resistance of longtime senior Republicans, rooted in an institutionalist vision of the Senate, like Thune and Cornyn, against an emboldened pro-Trump wing that seeks to shatter all vestiges of the old Republican Party in its return to office. power.

Scott, who is seeking the latter office, said in an interview Monday that he would advance “the Trump agenda” if elected.

“I talk to all my colleagues, and they are clear about what they want and know we need to change. They want to be treated as equals, to be part of a team. They know I have a great relationship with Trump and the Speaker of the House, and that I’m a businessman. And I will advance Trump’s agenda,” Scott said.

Online MAGA influencers have launched an online pressure campaign to bring down current and former McConnell lawmakers — and bolster Scott — ahead of a candidates forum Tuesday and a closed-door election expected Wednesday.

Right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson said Scott is the “only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump” and said the other two contenders “hate Trump and what he ran on.” (Thune and Cornyn have criticized Trump in the past, but both have supported him this year.)

Billionaire Trump’s benefactor Elon Musk also approved Scottdeclaring Monday: “The new leader of the Senate majority must respond to the will of the people. »

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., one of Trump’s top allies on the Hill, encouraged senators to elect Scott. “The Republican conference should choose a leader who represents the people, not as has been done for decades,” Greene said on.

But it is far from certain that the campaign will succeed. The Senate is a notoriously insular body, relatively detached from populist fervor, granting its members six-year terms and generally operating according to seniority. It would be unusual for Scott to beat out two colleagues who have worked much longer, cultivated deeper relationships, and who have each paid their dues to continue their work.

Most importantly, the election will be conducted by secret ballot. Unlike votes on laws and appointments – as well as voting for House speaker – votes for Senate leadership are anonymous. This means that relationships will be paramount and the pro-Trump online army will not know how members voted.

“It’s a strong online presence that ultimately doesn’t match the votes in the Senate,” said a Senate Republican aide, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the dynamics of the race. “And senators are reacting negatively to that.”

Most notably, Trump himself did not weigh in, with all three candidates seeking to show their bona fides in support of Trump.

Scott called Trump in May to ask for his support in the leadership race, which he said he would appreciate, and his goal is to pressure Trump to announce his support before Wednesday’s election , according to two people familiar with his thinking.

In interviews since Election Day, Scott has said he and Trump communicate via text message.

But Scott was coy when asked Monday if he thought he had Trump’s support.

“I appreciate anyone’s support. He endorsed me in 2022 in my race against Mitch McConnell,” Scott said.

Asked if he was seeking Trump’s support, he said: “I’m not going to talk about private conversations.” »

Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Trump’s daughter-in-law, noted that Scott was “very loyal” to Trump. In one ininterview with pro-Trump pundit Benny Johnson on Monday. She didn’t support him, but suggested that voters who like Scott and think he should lead the GOP conference should contact their senators.

“Thune’s race to lose”

Scott is less popular among his colleagues than Thune and Cornyn; in 2022, he received just 10 votes when he unsuccessfully challenged McConnell for the top job. Thune and Cornyn have a well-established relationship as conference leaders.

Cornyn’s office touted a total of $415 million raised for GOP senators and candidates during his 22 years in the Senate, aided by two terms as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

This cycle, Cornyn’s office said, he raised about $33 million for GOP candidates. A source close to Thune touted a similar dollar amount for the 2024 election.

“It’s Thune’s race to lose,” said Mike Davis, a pugnacious Trump ally who was previously a top aide to Senate Republicans.

But Davis said the price of admission for the job will be advancing Trump’s agenda.

“Senate Republicans – especially Senate Republican leaders – must understand that the American people put President Trump back in the White House with his “America First” agenda. And any candidate for leadership of the Republican Party who disagrees with that should step down,” he said.

Scott, who just won a second six-year term, said in an interview that his victory in Florida shows that Republicans don’t need to moderate their views.

“We never moderated our positions and we continued to win,” he said Friday. “Now, if you look at the country, we are the center of the Republican Party. …The whole country is moving in our direction.”

Even before last week’s elections, Scott had searched to become a bridge between House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and his GOP Senate conference and push McConnell out of the picture. And with Republicans on track to maintain a narrow majority in the House, Scott views his connection to Johnson as an advantage in the leadership race.

A handful of sitting Republican senators have publicly supported him: Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. The names of some of them, like Rubio, Hagerty and Tuberville, have been proposed for senior positions in the Trump administration.

Trump is expected to meet with President Johnson and the new Senate majority leader on Wednesday, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The Senate is scheduled to hold its vote on the majority leader at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, the same day Trump is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House.

Of the three senators vying to succeed McConnell, Scott was the only one to give an interview on the Sunday shows this weekend, when he promoted his “close relationship” with the speaker on Fox News .

The interview and online MAGA campaign were intentional moves to project a flood of support for Scott and put pressure on Thune, who is considered the front-runner.

Trump did a public request: The next GOP leader should support his ability to make “recess appointments” to temporarily install staff without Senate confirmation.

“I have spent eight months listening carefully to my colleagues about their vision for the next chapter of the Senate Republican Conference, particularly while we are on the ground with President Trump,” Thune said in a statement. “One thing is clear: we must act quickly and decisively to put the President’s Cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to begin fulfilling the mandate we have been charged to carry out, and all options are on the table to achieve this. occur, including playtime appointments. We cannot let Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats block the will of the American people.”

Cornyn swore that if Democrats block Trump’s nominees, “we will stay in session, including weekends, until they relent.” Additionally, the Constitution expressly grants the President the power to make appointments during recess.

Scott, meanwhile, responded to Trump on X: “100% agree. »